NLS Preview: 24 GT3s to race in top class of NLS 1

Written by Benjamin Crundwell, Edited by Pranav Sharama

Credit: Luna Maas

Arguably, the most anticipated season of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) history starts this Saturday, with star-studded line-ups set to challenge for glory in NLS 1.

Often associated with the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the NLS is a 10-round season set on the Nürburgring. Each round of the NLS is a four-hour race on the combined version of the circuit - forcing drivers to conquer the FIA Grade 1 Grand Prix circuit, then face the challenge of the feared Nordschleife, all in the same eight-minute Lap.

Despite the 24-hour race’s relation, it’s not actually a part of the NLS season, instead being a part of the Intercontinental GT World Challenge (IGTC). Despite being a separate series, the vast majority of competitors compete in the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the NLS.

Common competitors occur for two reasons. Firstly, to race in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, special permits are required, which can only be acquired by completing laps in the NLS.

Secondly, the Nordschleife is the most challenging 12.94 miles (20.832 km) of tarmac on the planet; as well as needing preparation to set up the car correctly to last 24 hours, drivers need an opportunity to master the track, so they last the 24 hours too.

The most popular example in modern motor racing is Max Verstappen, who has four Formula One world championships, but will be competing in NLS 2 to prepare for his debut at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Credit: Luna Maas

Verstappen won’t be competing in the first round of the NLS season, NLS 1, but that is not an excuse to not tune in. His team, Verstappen Racing, is partnered with Winward Racing, who will be entering their Mercedes-AMG GT3 to the SP9 (GT3) class, piloted by Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and Lucas Auer.

Mercedes’ other competitors will be driven by Maxime Martin, Maro Engel and Luca Stolz. A third Mercedes will be entered by Toyo Tyres with Ring Racing.

Off the back of an overall Nürburgring 24 Hours victory last year, BMW have spread nine of their best factory drivers across three cars with Rowe Racing and Schubert Motorsport. The No.98 and No.99 Rowe cars will be driven by Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, Jordan Pepper, and Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Sheldon van der Linde, respectively.

Having won eight of the 10 NLS rounds last year, Porsche have seven of their 911 GT3 Rs entering NLS 1. The German brand will be led by Manthey with Kévin Estre and Ayhancan Güven, as well as the Falken Motorsports car driven by Klaus Bachler and Morris Schuring, and the new DUNLOP car driven by Julien Andlauer and Nico Menzel.

Another notable entry comes from Lamborghini, the No.130 Red Bull Team ABT Huracán will be driven by Nick Catsburg, Marco Mapelli and Nick Yelloly. The sole Ferrari 296 will be driven by Dennis Marschall, Thomas Neubauer and Thierry Vermeulen.

After striking a kangaroo in the Bathurst 12 Hour, Christopher Mies is back in the Ford Mustang, teamed up with Dennis Olsen, Frédéric Vervisch and Vincent Kolb. Notably, Frank Stippler, who has been one of the competitors to be reckoned with in previous years, will not be racing this weekend.

Credit: Luna Maas

The Eifel forest often throws its worst weather at the Nürburgring, and it's doing everything this weekend to add to the spectacle: it’s due to snow! The snow will fall in the morning, and then rain is forecast during the race. On such a long race track, this weather can be brutal as the track is stone dry in one location and an ice rink in other areas.

Qualifying will start at 08:30 local time (07:30 GMT) and last 90 minutes. Once the grid is set, the four-hour race will start at 12:00 (11:00 GMT). Of course, many pit stops will happen throughout, so it is worth noting the uncanny rules surrounding pit stops, as outlined in Appendix 6 of the regulations.

For cars refuelling, the minimum pit time is dependent on the number of laps completed in the first part of the race, and dependent on race time remaining in the later stages of the race.

All action can be watched on Saturday via a free live stream on YouTube.

See the full entry list here: 2026-03-14s.pdf