Lamborghini Red Bull Team ABT secure front-row lockout in N24 Top Qualifying 3, No.84 on pole ahead of No.130

Credit: Luna Maas

Luca Engstler has given Lamborghini Red Bull Team ABT pole position for the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours ahead of the No.130 sister car making it a 1-2 for the crew.

Top Qualifying Results

1st No.84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini

2nd No.130 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini

3rd No.16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi

4th No.3 Verstappen.com Winward Mercedes

5th No.45 Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi Ferrari

6th No.7 Konrad Racing Lamborghini

7th No.64 HRT Ford Mustang

8th No.911 Manthey Porsche

9th No.1 ROWE Racing BMW

10th No.47 KCMG Mercedes

11th No.34 Walkenhorst Aston Martin

12th No.67 HRT Ford Mustang

As it happened

After rain in the Qualifying 3 session, the track was damp to begin the Top Qualifying 3 pole position shootout, with each of the 12 cars given two laps to get their best time done. They'd each be sent off from the starting grid in short intervals. The order they were sent off in was randomised.

The No.67 camouflaged HRT Ford Mustang of Frederick Vervisch was the first in the queue, likely hitting the worst of the damp patches, but also having the least risk of being caught out by a Code 60. The No.16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi of Christopher Haase was the last to go off, so got the opposite end of the stick to the Ford.

All 12 did have a full lap to test the conditions and warm up the tyres and brakes. The cut-through at the GP pit entry was closed for this session.

Thomas Preining got a move on in the No.911 Porsche, catching and passing the Ford that was set off in front of him. The 'Grello' Porsche was then the first one to set the clock going.

He stopped it again the next time around at 8:21.391, the benchmark for the rest to beat. Vervisch was seven seconds slower, and Daniel Juncadella in the No.3 Went almost three seconds quicker to the top. David Pittard slotted into second, a second back in the No.47 KCMG Mercedes.

But then came the No.84 ABT Lamborghini of Luca Engstler with an 8:14.7. Raffaele Marciello went second in the No.1 BMW ahead of the No.45 Ferrari. But it was Marco Mapelli in the No.130 Red Bull ABT car with a storming 8:11.6 lap time.

Max Paul in the No.7 Konrad Lamborghini went 1.7 seconds slower, to make it a brief Lamborghini 1-2-3 before Frank Stippler put the No.64 Ford third. Haase was the final one across the line on the first laps, stealing third from Stippler in the Audi.

So the order after the first laps was; No.130 Lamborghini, No.7 Lamborghini, No.16 Audi, No.64 Ford, No.84 Lamborghini, No.1, BMW No.45 Ferrari, No.34 Aston Martin, No.3 Mercedes, No.47 Mercedes, No.911 Porsche and No.67 Ford.

Preining set some purple sectors around his second lap, but they were quickly taken by the cars coming behind him.

An 8:13.9 was all he could manage, third at the time he crossed the line, but others were going quicker. Juncadella went second in the No.3, still three tenths off Mapelli.

Engstler in the No.84 went half a second quicker than the sister car though, challenging the top time. Thomas Neubauer put the Ferrari fourth at the time.

Mapelli was absolutely flying though, three purple sectors but three non-improvements too. He improved by two tenths but it wasn't enough to steal pole from Engstler. Paul in the No.7 went fifth.

Stippler put the No.64 sixth, and Haase was coming last with a few purple sectors. He went third in the end, not challenging the two Lambos up front.

So Engstler took pole, ahead of Mapelli and Haase. They will lead the field to green tomorrow at 15:00 local time (14:00 BST) for the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours.