Twelve hours into the 2026 ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring 24 Hours, the race has reached its halfway point with the battle for victory still completely open. Through the cold and dark night at the Nordschleife, the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL Mercedes-AMG GT3 continued fighting for the lead while more contenders suffered problems and accidents.

More Trouble For The Leading Teams

Another SP9 contender ran into trouble when Morris Schuring crashed the #44 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R at Flugplatz. The Dutch driver had to avoid the slower #36 Saugmotoren Motorsport BMW Z4 GT3 of Valentin Lachenmayer and went off the track, damaging the Porsche and dropping down the order.

There was also trouble for the #86 High Class Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R of Harry King. Running inside the overall top ten and second in SP9 Pro-Am, King spun into the and lost valuable time.

The #187 FK Performance Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 stopped at Kesselchen, while the #65 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 of David Schumacher also came to a halt later in the lap.

Another setback came for the #39 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 when Mex Jansen brought the car back to the garage with rear-end damage.

A major accident later ended the race for the #17 Dunlop Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R. Alessio Picariello crashed heavily while trying to avoid one of the Porsche Cup cars. The damage forced the retirement of Julien Andlauer, Dorian Boccolacci, Nico Menzel, and Picariello from the race.

The #632 BLACK FALCON Team FANATEC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup also ended up in the gravel after Steve Brown had only just taken over the car from Jimmy Broadbent.

Verstappen And Engel Continue Their Fight

At the front, the battle between the two Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars continued deep into the night. Luca Stolz in the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL Mercedes-AMG GT3 briefly overtook Daniel Juncadella in the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the lead before pit stops started once again.

Juncadella stayed close behind and later used the slipstream on the Döttinger Höhe straight to retake the position. During the battle, the Spaniard nearly touched the grass while fighting side-by-side with Stolz.

Both cars later returned to the pits. Maro Engel took over the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Stolz, while Juncadella stayed inside the Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG.

Soon after, Max Verstappen climbed back into the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 for his first proper night stint of the race. The Dutch driver rejoined only a few seconds behind Maro Engel, setting up another direct fight for the lead.

Verstappen eventually moved ahead of Engel to take the lead. A few laps later, the two leaders made contact while trying to pass slower traffic. Verstappen managed to stay ahead, while Engel was forced onto the grass during the incident.

Behind them, Dennis Olsen in the #67 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 overtook Joel Sturm and Adam Christodoulou to move back into eighth place.

The #80 Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL Mercedes-AMG GT3 later completed another long pit stop, with Maxime Martin taking over from Engel while the team also changed brake pads during the stop.

In another late-race development, race control confirmed that Timo Glock in the #69 Dörr Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 has been disqualified from the Nürburgring 24 Hours after speeding in a Code 60 zone shortly before midnight. Glock has also lost his DPN licence after collecting four DMSB penalty points.

Mid-Race Order Takes Shape

While the #39 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 lost time earlier with rear-end damage, the sister #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 continued a strong run during the night. The Aston Martin reduced the gap to around two minutes and stayed firmly inside the top positions.

At the halfway point of the race, the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 continued to lead the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The #80 Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL Mercedes-AMG GT3 remained close behind, while the #99 ROWE RACING BMW M4 GT3 held third place.

The recovering #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 and the #81 BMW M Motorsport BMW M3 Touring completed the top five after twelve hours of racing.