A guide to Nürburgring 24h 2026 Qualifying format

Credit: Porsche Motorsport

“We opted for the new format because we wanted to make the process more comprehensible and transparent for the fans,” said Race Director of the Nürburgring 24h, Walter Hornung.

Revising the qualifying format for this year's edition of the classic German endurance event certainly amplifies thrill and anticipation surrounding the whole weekend. Here's what you need to know about Nürburgring 24h's revamped string of qualifying sessions.

Pre-Qualification

Before the race weekend starts, six cars can secure their position in Top Q3 in advance, which only has a maximum of 12 spots available, the other six spots are decided in the early stages of qualifying. The results from the first three rounds of NLS (NLS 1, 2 and 3), in addition to the ones from the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, will be used for this purpose.

In the NLS races, one starting position is given to the fastest overall across all qualifying sessions, and two positions are reserved for the fastest drivers in the races, where all sector times meet the requirements as stated in the regulations, inclusion in the standings are combined to determine theoretical best-lap times.

In the 24h Qualifiers, the team with the fastest lap time from both Qualifying and Top Qualifying sessions will earn a starting position in the German enduro. Another starting position is awarded to the car with the theoretical fastest lap time in the two races of the weekend.

Thursday

Qualifying will begin from Thursday onwards, hence teams will utilise these two meaningful days as a rehearsal for the real deal.

Qualifying 1 (Q1)

At 1.15pm local time (12:15 BST), Nürburgring will start off with a "normal" Q1 session, where all 161 cars are allowed on track at the same time, for two hours. The two-hour session will surely be filled with intensity.

As the higher classes' actual battle for grid positions are in the exclusive Top Qualifying, these sorts of qualifying sessions are merely extended practice sessions to the quickest cars.

Qualifying 2 (Q2)

These 161 entries will have the opportunity to battle each other once more as well as make more preparations as this time, they will complete their laps in the dark, starting from 20:00 local time (19:00 BST).

Compared to the previous one, this round is mandatory for all drivers. Every driver must complete at least one lap here to remain eligible for the race. Otherwise, skipping it means automatic exclusion.

Friday

Inspired by Formula One’s three-stage qualification, this year’s revamped format features three Top Qualifying rounds, all taking place on the same day.

There is also a "normal" Qualifying 3 session, where the remaining teams will finalise their starting positions for Saturday's action.

Top Qualifying 1

Starting off a packed Friday with Top Q1 at 10:15 local time (09:15 BST), where all eligible cars of the highest class (SP9, SP11, SP-Pro, and SP-X) that were not ranked for Top Q3 in advance are permitted to compete here.

Eligibility of the SP-X class in Top Q1 comes with a condition: teams can prove their respective engines have an engine output of at least 450 hp as well as a corresponding application to race control. This session will last for 35 minutes, starting at 10.15 am.

Pre-qualified entries that lie outside the standings are also allowed to take part, but it’s not compulsory.

Top Qualifying 2

Immediately after Top Q1, at 11:05 (10:05 BST), the top 20 cars from the first round will progress to Q2, spending another 35 minutes battling for the remaining spots on an individual time trial basis.

Qualifying 3 (Q3)

At 12 pm, the cars will undergo a final gearing up and determine their grid positions for race day. However, the higher categories will need to sit back for this round, as the spotlight will be on the slower cars. The top qualifying cars are not allowed to compete in this session to prevent any interference of battling out remaining starting positions with the other starting groups.

For those who aren't in Top Qualifying, their grid position is decided on their quickest lap time from all three qualifying sessions, Q1, Q2 or Q3.

Top Qualifying 3

Last but not least, the pole position shootout will take place in Top Q3. From 13.35 (12:35 BST) onwards, the fastest 12 cars, comprised of six from the Top Q2 plus six from the pre-qualification, will compete for the best grid position come Saturday. This will last for an hour.