Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing secured a dominant victory in the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) NLS2 after starting from pole position. Max Verstappen shared the #3 Mercedes-AMG with Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella, finishing ahead of Rowe Racing and Falken Motorsports.
Update: Post-race, the result was dramatically revised as the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry was disqualified for exceeding the permitted tyre allocation during the event, handing victory to the #99 Rowe Racing BMW.
Read more about the disqualification and its implications here.
Pole Position for Max Verstappen
Verstappen Racing secured pole position for the 58. ADAC Barbarossapreis as the series returned under sunny conditions following the cancellation of NLS1 due to snow.
Max Verstappen went fastest late in qualifying with a 7:51.571. The Dutchman edged out the #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Christopher Haase by 1.974 seconds and the #98 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 of Rafaelle Marciello by 2.855 seconds, securing a convincing pole position margin.
Early Race Fight Between Verstappen and Haase
At the start, Verstappen led from pole, but Christopher Haase quickly fought back. Using the slipstream, the German took the lead on the opening lap.
By lap two, Haase had extended the gap to 1.166 seconds. However, Verstappen pushed hard to close it again. The two drivers almost made contact in a slow zone after an incident involving the crashed Hyundai i30 N from STENLE Marketing by Mertens Motorsport on the circuit. By lap four, the gap was down to just 0.792 seconds.
Behind the leaders, David Pittard in the #47 KCMG Mercedes-AMG trailed by over 12 seconds, followed by Augusto Farfus in the #98 Rowe BMW. There was also a tight fight for P5 between Tobias Müller in the #48 LOSCH Porsche and Thomas Neubauer in the #45 Kondo with Rinaldi Ferrari. Verstappen eventually retook the lead from Haase in a side-by-side battle just before the pit stops.
Juncadella Leads in Second Stint
During the second stint of NLS2, Dani Juncadella took over the #3 Mercedes-AMG and quickly built a strong gap. After his first lap, he led the #47 KCMG Mercedes-AMG, #99 Rowe BMW, #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi and #34 Walkenhorst Aston Martin. The #98 Rowe Racing BMW suffered issues and was pushed into the garage after running in seventh.
Juncadella continued to extend his lead to over 12 seconds before the next round of pit stops. Meanwhile, the #65 Mustang from Haupt Racing Team was brought into the pits with heavy damage.
Close Battle Between Gounon and Harper
Jules Gounon took over the #3 Mercedes-AMG for the third stint of NLS2 and exited the pits in the lead. However, Dan Harper in the #99 Rowe BMW was just 0.385 seconds behind.
Harper briefly took the lead on lap 17, but Gounon regained it on lap 18. Soon after, Harper received a penalty lap for causing a collision, costing him around five seconds and effectively ending his challenge for the lead.
Final Stint and Pit Stops
A smart late pit strategy gave Verstappen Racing a decisive advantage. Max Verstappen returned to the car and built a lead of 45.823 seconds over Nico Hantke in the #16 Audi, with Jordan Pepper in the #99 Rowe BMW running in third.
Further back, a big battle for fourth place involved #44 Falken Porsche, #34 Walkenhorst Aston Martin, #48 LOSCH Porsche, and #45 Kondo with Rinaldi Ferrari. Positions changed repeatedly, with several drivers passing Nico Hantke, dropping the #16 Scherer Sport PHX down the order.
Verstappen Secures Commanding win
At the front, Max Verstappen stayed in control and extended his lead to over 50 seconds. Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing secured a dominant win in Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie 2, after starting from pole position. #99 Rowe Racing BMW finished in second place, while #44 Falken Motorsports Porsche completed the podium.
Fourth place went to the SP9 Pro-Am winning #48 48 LOSCH Motorsport by Black Falcon Porsche, followed by the #45 Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi Ferrari 296 GT3 in fifth. The #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo and the #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi finished sixth and seventh, while the #7 Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2, #17 Dunlop Motorsport Porsche, and #130 Red Bull Team Abt Lamborghini completed the top 10. The #47 KCMG Mercedes-AMG finished 11th after dropping out of the podium fight during the final pit stop cycle.
Meanwhile, the newcomer who stole the show in the SP-X class, the #81 BMW M Motorsport G81 M3 Touring, impressed on the GT3-based car’s debut by finishing 13th overall.
Top 10 – NLS2 2026 (Revised Results)
- #99 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO
Dan Harper / Jordan Pepper - #44 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R
Tim Heinemann / Sven Müller - #48 LOSCH Motorsport by Black Falcon Porsche 911 GT3 R
Patrick Assenheimer / Tobias Müller / Dylan Pereira - #45 Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi Ferrari 296 GT3
David Perel / Thierry Vermeulen / Thomas Neubauer - #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO
Christian Krognes / Mattia Drudi - #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II
Christopher Haase / Nico Hantke - #7 Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3
Maximilian Paul / Christian Engelhart / Patricija Stalidzane - #17 Dunlop Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R
Dorian Boccolacci / Nico Menzel - #130 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO II
Mirko Bortolotti / Luca Engstler / Marco Mapelli / Patric Niederhauser - #47 KCMG Mercedes-AMG GT3
Nirei Fukuzumi / Jesse Krohn / David Pittard / Sho Tsuboi
NLS3 ahead
With NLS2 in the books, attention now turns firmly towards the build-up to the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, as more teams ramp up their preparations for the Eifel classic. Among the notable storylines still to come is the return of the BMW Z4 GT3, set to make its first Nürburgring appearance since 2019 with Peter Posavac and Koopman Racing. The next chapter unfolds on April 11 with NLS3, the 57th Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy.
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