NÜRBURG, Germany – While Qualifying 1 was a display of outright speed, Qualifying 2 (Q2) at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours was a test of survival and strategy. Under the cover of darkness and battling volatile Eifel weather, Kelvin van der Linde emerged as the pace-setter in a rain-affected three-and-a-half-hour session.
Driving the No. 1 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo, Van der Linde clocked a 9:19.884 midway through the session. While his time was nearly a minute slower than Fabian Schiller’s dry Q1 benchmark, it was the definitive lap of the night as the track transitioned from damp to wet.
Hail, Rain, and a Drying Line
The session began with treacherous conditions following a heavy downpour and hail just before the green flag at 8:00 PM local time. As the daylight faded, a narrow drying line began to emerge, allowing for a brief window of improved lap times.
Van der Linde took full advantage of this window to go four seconds clear of Laurin Heinrich in the No. 24 Lionspeed GP Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo. Heinrich’s performance was particularly notable as his team worked tirelessly to repair the car following his heavy crash in the morning session.
However, the “window” slammed shut in the final hour when a second heavy rain front moved over the Nordschleife, effectively ending any hopes of late-session improvements and forcing the field back onto full wet tires.
Night Mandatory Laps and Tactical Shifts
Q2 is mandatory for all drivers to ensure they meet the minimum night-lap requirements. Despite the pressure, the field remained remarkably disciplined compared to the morning’s chaos.
Max Verstappen and the Team Verstappen Mercedes-AMG focused on consistency rather than glory. Sharing the wheel with Dani Juncadella, the No. 3 car finished the session 5th fastest with a 9:34.713. Verstappen used the session to gain critical experience in the wet-to-dry transition, a phase he noted as being “one of the toughest challenges” of the Green Hell.
Mixed Fortunes for Porsche and Lamborghini
Porsche occupied several spots in the top five, with Thomas Preining taking 3rd for Manthey Racing and Klaus Bachler placing the Falken Motorsports entry in 4th.
Meanwhile, the No. 80 Winward Mercedes-AMG, which dominated Q1, had a more subdued evening. After setting the early pace, they focused on long-run data, finishing outside the top ten as the rain intensified. The session was also an “eventful” one for the No. 17 Dunlop Porsche, which saw both Dorian Boccolacci and Alessio Picariello suffer minor off-track excursions at Galgenkopf.
The Road to Top Qualifying
With the night sessions complete, the aggregate standings still see Fabian Schiller’s 8:14.957 (Q1) as the time to beat. Attention now turns to Friday morning’s high-stakes Top Qualifying shootout. The revamped knockout format (Top Q1, Q2, and Q3) will finally determine the starting grid for the 161-car field, with the fastest 12 cars fighting for the overall pole position in the final one-hour sprint.