NLS2 preview: Verstappen leads star-studded field as 2026 season finally gets underway

After NLS1 was cancelled due to snow and freezing temperatures, the 50th anniversary ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) season kicks off this weekend with one of the strongest grids of the year on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and plenty of stories to look forward to.

Season opener cancelled due to winter weather

NLS1 never turned a competitive lap last weekend. Low temperatures and snowfall initially delayed qualifying, and while track conditions gradually improved, the temperature did not. Tyre manufacturers advised the NLS against racing, which was followed by the race director.

NLS2 this weekend is forecast to be dry and sunny with temperatures around 12 degrees.

Verstappen returns to the Green Hell

Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen headlines NLS2, returning to the Nürburgring-Nordschleife behind the wheel of the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 operated by Winward Racing. Running under the name Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, the Dutchman shares the Pro-class entry with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon.

Verstappen won on his GT3 debut at NLS9 last September, taking overall victory alongside Chris Lulham in a Ferrari 296 GT3 run by Emil Frey Racing. That result laid the groundwork for a full GT3 push in 2026, which now includes entry into the Nürburgring 24 Hours. NLS2 this weekend is his first step in that programme, with the big race in May the ultimate goal.

Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing is one of two Winward entries; the second, #80, is driven by Maxime Martin and Fabian Schiller under the Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol banner.

136 entries, a milestone season, and a revamped GT4 class

NLS2 opens the 50th season of the series with a grid of 136 cars — a strong field spread across more than 20 classes. SP9 fields 26 GT3 entries, making it one of the deeper GT3 grids in recent NLS memory, and adds two additional Audi R8 LMS GT3s in the AT1 class for a total of 28 GT3s.

Rowe Racing return as reigning Nürburgring 24 Hours winners, with Augusto Farfus — a two-time ‘N24’ winner and Nordschleife veteran of over two decades — leading the charge alongside Raffaele Marciello and Kelvin van der Linde. Scherer Sport PHX are perennial contenders, and Schnabl Engineering-run Falken Motorsports and Dunlop Motorsport — last year’s NLS Speed Trophy winners — bring serious Porsche firepower. Walkenhorst Motorsport fields two Aston Martin Vantage GT3s, while HRT Ford Racing enters two Ford Mustang GT3s for the home Haupt Racing Team squad. And keep an eye on Gamota Racing, who make their Nürburgring debut this weekend with two drivers who know the Nordschleife better than most: Moritz Kranz and David Jahn.

For 2026, the series has also overhauled its GT4 landscape. SP10 is now the exclusive class for all GT4 machinery, consolidating what was previously spread across multiple categories into a single, unified GT4 class. Nine cars line up in SP10 for NLS2, spanning manufacturers including BMW, Porsche, Toyota, and Mercedes-AMG, giving the class proper multi-marque depth it previously lacked.

Three Lamborghinis, one clear message

The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 may be entering its swansong season — its successor, the Temerario GT3, makes its competition debut this very weekend at the Sebring 12 Hours — but at the Nürburgring it is going out in style. Three Huracáns line up in SP9 at NLS2, and the pedigree behind them could hardly be stronger.

The headline act is Red Bull Team ABT’s car #130, entering as part of ABT’s build-up to the Nürburgring 24 Hours in May. For NLS2, Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler, Marco Mapelli, and Patric Niederhauser share a single car; at the 24 Hours itself, ABT will split into two entries: #130 for Marco Mapelli, Nick Catsburg and Nick Yelloly, and #84 in Red Bull colours for Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler, and Patric Niederhauser.

Nick Yelloly, who won the 24 Hours in 2020 with BMW and returns for a shot at glory with Mapelli and Catsburg, leaves no doubt about the ambition in our recent interview: “It’s about time to execute it.”

Read the full conversation with Yelloly here.

Konrad Motorsport’s #7 entry teams up Lamborghini works drivers Maximilian Paul and Christian Engelhart with Latvian driver Patricija Stalidzane, who makes her GT3 debut at the Nürburgring. At the other end of the spectrum, mcchip-dkr-run Renazzo Motorsport’s Am entry brings back the much-loved Nordschleife regulars Kiki Sak Nana, Christoph Breuer, and mcchip-dkr team owner Danny ‘Dieter Schmidtmann’ Kubasik, proving that the Huracán suits everyone from factory works programmes to passionate privateer campaigns.

KCMG returns with 24h-winning pedigree — and Ring Racing joins the Mercedes brigade

Hong Kong squad KCMG is back at the Nürburgring for the first time since 2023, this time with a Mercedes-AMG GT3. The team previously raced here with a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R before a Toyota GR Supra GT4 outing. For this comeback they bring two Nürburgring 24 Hours winners: Jesse Krohn, who won the big race last year, and 2023 champion David Pittard. Nirei Fukuzumi and Sho Tsuboi complete the four-driver lineup.

They are one of no fewer than four Mercedes-AMG GT3s on the entry list with more to come at the 24 Hours, a remarkable show of strength for the Stuttgart manufacturer on home soil.

Also joining the Mercedes ranks for the first time is Toyo Tires with Ring Racing, making the jump from Porsche 911 GT3 Cup MR and Toyota GR Supra GT4 machinery to GT3 competition. In a recent interview with VLN-Fanpage.de, driver Andreas Gülden described taking preparations seriously — extensive simulator work and physical training — as the team approaches 2026 as a development year with an eye on bigger targets ahead.

Max Kruse Racing’s alternative fuel duo

Max Kruse Racing enters two Audi R8 LMS GT3s in the alternative fuel class AT 1. Alongside the established trio of Benny Leuchter, Dominik Fugel, and Marcel Fugel in car #75, the second entry features a Dutch lineup of Tom Coronel, Rudy van Buren, and Jan Jaap van Roon — both Audis running on sustainable E20 fuel.

SP-X: Unusual machinery welcome

The SP-X class for special vehicles admits two entries by special application: Reiter Engineering’s KTM X-BOW GTX, a GT2-based machine that remains one of the most distinctive cars on the Nordschleife, and BMW M Motorsport’s #81 BMW M3 Touring 24H, a racing version of a practical estate car. Jens Klingmann and Ugo de Wilde share both the Schubert entry in SP9 and the Touring in SP-X.

Schrey returns, heart still in racing

Two-time NLS champion Michael Schrey is back on the Nordschleife just months after retiring following a career spanning more than 25 years. He lines up in the #888 BMW M2 Racing for Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport, sharing with fellow two-time NLS champion Ranko Mijatovic. Schrey describes the comeback as limited to select events rather than a full return.

Want to know why he couldn’t stay away? Read our exclusive interview.

Bitter Corsa: from family legend to the Nordschleife

Class SP2T has a story to tell. Bitter is a small German coachbuilder that creates bespoke versions of current Opel models. The #380 Bitter Corsa entered this weekend is a racing-prepared Opel Corsa running under the Bitter name, driven by Katharina Lippka, Björn Morhin, Christian Schäffer, and Nordschleife and Opel veteran Volker Strycek. Team manager Markus Bitter is almost on home turf: his uncle Erich wrote history at this very circuit in the late 1960s with the legendary Opel Rekord 1900 ‘Schwarze Witwe’.

Beyond the stars: Richard Schäfer’s NLS dream

The NLS has never been only about factory drivers and GT3 contenders. It is equally about grassroots racers, Nordschleife locals, and determined amateurs working their way up through the ranks — or simply living their passion. Richard Schäfer is exactly that. The 29-year-old grew up near the circuit, built a following documenting his Nordschleife obsession on YouTube, and is now contesting a full NLS season in the Hyundai i30N with STENLE Marketing by Mertens Motorsport.

We sat down with him to talk lap records, sim racing, and what it actually takes to fund your own racing career. Read his story here.