Max Verstappen and Arjun Maini Take on the Nürburgring 24 Hours Race - Full IST Schedule, How To Watch

The 24 Hours of Nürburgring is one of the toughest endurance races in motorsport. Held on the famous Nordschleife track in Germany, also known as the Green Hell, it tests drivers and cars over a long distance with changing weather and a mix of very fast and slower vehicles.

The full circuit is around 25 kilometres long with many blind corners, hills and difficult sections. This makes it iconic because only the best drivers and teams can handle its challenges for a full day and night.

Many car manufacturers, and over 20 categories of cars take part in this race, with a total of 161 cars set to run this weekend. The GT3 cars within the SP9 class are the most popular, as they are the ones that fight for the overall race win.

Many legends, such as Niki Lauda (won in 1973), Nelson Piquet, and Jack Brabham have raced here, and winning this race brings great respect in the motorsport world.

Max Verstappen’s Participation Details

This weekend, Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen will make his debut in this famous 24-hour race.

The four-time world champion is known for his skill and love for different types of racing. He will drive for the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing in the top SP9 GT3 class. His teammates are experienced drivers Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer.

They will race in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo car. This strong line-up gives them a good chance to fight for overall victory among more than 40 GT3 cars.

Verstappen has already shown his speed at the Nürburgring in recent events. Thanks to his participation, this event has sold out tickets for the first time.

Arjun Maini Representing India

Arjun Maini returns to the Nürburgring 24 Hours with strong experience on this difficult track.

The driver from Bengaluru will compete for HRT Ford Racing, also in the SP9 class, driving a Ford Mustang GT3 Evo. He shares the car (number 64) with teammates Fabio Scherer, David Schumacher and Frank Stippler.

Maini has shown impressive pace at the Nordschleife in recent years, and will look to deliver a strong result for us Indian fans.

Nurburgring 24 Hours Qualifying Format

The qualifying for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring uses a special multi-stage format. It starts with regular Qualifying sessions (Q1 and Q2) on Thursday where all cars set lap times.

On Friday, the top class cars (mainly SP9 GT3) enter the exciting Top Qualifying sessions. Top Q1 and Top Q2 are shorter sessions from which the fastest cars advance.

The best cars then fight it out in Top Q3, a high-pressure shootout to decide the pole position and front rows of the grid.

How the Nurburgring 24h Race Winner is Decided

The winner of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring is the car that completes the most laps in the fixed 24-hour time.

The race clock starts at the official start time, and the chequered flag falls exactly 24 hours later. The car that has covered the greatest distance (highest number of laps) when the 24 hours end is declared the overall winner.

In case of a tie on laps, the car that crossed the finish line first after the time ends takes the victory.

Nurburgring 24 Hours Session Timings in IST

Here is a simple table with important sessions for the main 24-hour race weekend.

Note: Times are approximate based on the official schedule. Please check for any last-minute changes.

You can watch the action live for free on the official Nürburgring YouTube channel, Red Bull TV, and Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel for free.

Image Source: Red Bull Content Pool, Ford Racing, Gruppe C Photography