Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen will contest the second round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) on Saturday 21 March.
He will be driving the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 entered by Winward under the Verstappen Racing banner and will share the car with GT3 specialists Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon. Both drivers are representing Verstappen Racing in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup this year.
The 2026 NLS season was originally scheduled to kick off on March 14, but light snow and freezing temperatures led to the race being cancelled. The season is now set to get underway with NLS2 - officially titled the 58th ADAC Barbarossa Prize - with forecast of 12 degrees and sunshine on Saturday.
But what is the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie, who is competing, and where can you watch the race live? Motorsport.com has compiled the most important information.
What is the NLS?
The Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie, better known as NLS, is a long-distance championship consisting of 10 races. Each race takes place on the Nurburgring Nordschleife. However, the layout differs from that used during the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, one of the highlights of long-distance racing.
In the NLS, the so-called 'Mercedes-Arena' and the 'Motorbike-Chicane' are used, before proceeding to the Nordschleife section. Thus, the entire grand prix circuit is not utilised, as is the case during the Nurburgring 24 Hours. The NLS layout is thus 24.358 kilometres long, while the 24H layout is 25.378 kilometres.
In addition, the duration of the NLS races vary. Most rounds, including this weekend's NLS2, last four hours, but the seventh round of the championship, which takes place on August 1, lasts six hours. The Nurburgring 24 Hours is not part of the NLS calendar: it is a race that stands more on its own, but does play a prominent role within the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC).
Many manufacturers and teams view the NLS as good preparation for the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring. As a result, NLS races leading up to the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring often have full entry lists, while NLS races following the highlight of the calendar tend to attract less interest.
In races on the Nordschleife, which includes the NLS, drivers must also take special safety rules into account. Under a double yellow flag, drivers may drive at a maximum of 120km/h, and such a zone may be followed by a so-called Code 60 zone, where the speed limit is 60km/h. Anyone who violates these rules risks losing their license and must then go through the process of obtaining a license once again.
When can you participate in the NLS?
The Nurburgring-Nordschleife is known as the “Green Hell” and, for several reasons, presents a unique challenge for drivers wishing to compete in the races. No one escapes the stricter rules that apply to racing in the Eifel — not even Verstappen.
Anyone who wants to race in NLS must register for the racing course at the circuit. First, an online questionnaire must be completed. Once this is finished, drivers receive a sort of refresher course on-site in a classroom, where the special rules for the endurance races at the Nurburgring are reviewed.
This is followed by a bus tour of the circuit, stopping at several points so the track can be studied in more detail. After the theory comes the practice, during which drivers follow an instructor and take turns changing positions in the line. The most important information is then reviewed, after which the pace is gradually increased.
Once those reconnaissance laps are complete, students say goodbye to their instructor and must complete eight full laps on their own with one goal: to stay out of trouble. Lap times are not yet relevant at this stage. Those who succeed in this receive Permit B. They are then allowed to race in less powerful cars. Once at least seven trouble-free laps have been completed in a single NLS race, the driver becomes eligible for Permit A and may race in the top class — the SP9 class with GT3s.
Who are Max Verstappen's team-mates?
Verstappen will be teaming up with Juncadella and Gounon in NLS2, with Lucas Auer set to join the trio at the Nurburgring 24 Hours later in May.
Juncadella initially began his career in single-seaters and even joined Force India as a reserve driver after winning the F3 Euro Series with Prema. However, he made a number for himself in sportscar racing while driving for reputed brands like Mercedes and Corvette. His career highlights include winning the 2022 GT World Challenge Europe with Gounon and Raffaele Marciello, as well as an overall victory at the Spa 24 Hours with the same team-mates. In 2026, he will step up to the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship with Genesis.
Gounon left single-seaters relatively early in his career and enjoyed plenty of success in sportscars, initially with Bentley and later on with Mercedes. The Frenchman shares the record for the joint most wins at Bathurst 12 Hour with three successes, while he also triumphed at the fabled Spa 24 Hours twice. With titles in GT World Challenge Europe and ADAC GT Masters, he is considered one of the most accomplished GT drivers of his generation. Gounon has also gained experience in prototype machinery and is set to contest his second Hypercar campaign with Alpine this year.
Who is competing in NLS2?
The main focus in NLS2 is on Verstappen. Last year, the 28-year-old Dutchman made his debut in a Ferrari 296 GT3 under the pseudonym “Franz Hermann” during a test day at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife.
Later that year, he competed in his first NLS race, driving a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS. This allowed him to earn his license to race GT3s. He returned not long after to race the Ferrari 296 GT3 and won immediately with team-mate Chris Lulham, although the GT3 field had thinned out considerably and there were few serious competitors.
That will be different in NLS2, despite several drivers contesting the clashing Sebring 12 Hours IMSA enduro.
Many manufacturers and teams are fielding strong line-ups at NLS2, and no fewer than 26 GT3 cars are competing in the SP9 class. Verstappen, alongside Juncadella and Gounon, will face off against, among others, the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol, where Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin — two Nordschleife specialists — share the cockpit.
In addition, Rowe Racing will field two strong BMW M4 GT3s with start numbers 98 and 99. The #98 will be driven by Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, and Sheldon Van Der Linde — a line-up that, based on speed and experience, is considered one of the favourites for the overall victory. The #99, with Jordan Pepper and Dan Harper, will also give Verstappen a run for his money.
There will also be strong competition from Italy in the form of Red Bull Team Abt, which is competing with the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO II bearing start number 130. This car will be driven by a top-tier line-up consisting of DTM champion Mirko Bortolotti, Nordschleife expert Marco Mapelli, Luca Engstler and Patric Niederhauser.
The Porsche teams are also traditionally strong. Falken and Dunlop Motorsport are fielding two 911 GT3 Rs, with Nico Menzel and Dorian Boccolacci in the #17 and Sven Muller and Tim Heinemann in the #44. As always, Porsche is considered a contender for the win.
The manufacturer battle is rounded out by the new Aston Martin Vantage from Walkenhorst Motorsport, featuring record holder Christian Krognes (#34), the eye-catching Ford Mustang GT3s from Haupt Racing Team (#64 and #65), and the Ferrari 296 GT3 from Kondo Racing with Rinaldi, driven by Thierry Vermuelen. The Dutch DTM driver is supported by Verstappen Racing throughout his career, but this weekend he will be competing against that very team — and Verstappen himself.
Scherer Sport PHX, which relies on Audi, should not be underestimated either. For Verstappen, this means he’ll have to compete against the absolute world elite in endurance racing.
Which classes are competing?
The NLS championship is known for its many different classes. The top class is the SP9, in which GT3 cars compete. In addition, there is the SP10 class, consisting of GT4 cars. The CUP2 class, featuring the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, is also among the fastest categories in the NLS. Furthermore, the entry list includes the BMW M2 Racing, BMW M240i Racing Cup, VW Golf 8 GTI Clubsport, and BMW G81 M3 Touring 24H — just to highlight the variety of cars and categories.
Since 20 different classes are competing — totalling 136 cars for NLS2 — there are three different starting groups. First, the field consisting of the SP9, SP10, SP7, SP-X, CUP2, AT1, and AT2 will be released, comprising 56 cars. Shortly thereafter, the second starting group follows with 43 participants from the SP4, SP3T, BMW M240i, BMW M2, TCR, CUP3, and SP4T classes. Finally, the remaining 37 cars are allowed to start. These include the V6, V5, VT2-F+4WD, VT2-RWD, SP2T, and BMW 325i.
Why are there different categories within the GT3 class?
To keep the playing field level, there are three different sub-categories in the SP9 class featuring GT3 cars: Pro, Pro/Am, and Am. For these calculations, the NLS uses the FIA classification system.
Drivers who wish to compete in these types of championships must apply for such a licence from the FIA, and based on certain requirements, drivers are divided into the categories platinum, gold, silver, and bronze. As an F1 driver, Verstappen holds the super licence and therefore automatically falls under platinum. This results in a rating of four in the NLS championship.
If the average rating of the drivers in a single GT3 car exceeds 2.4, that team falls into the Pro category — the absolute top tier on the Nordschleife. With an average of exactly 2.4 or lower, a team falls under Pro-Am. The AM class is for teams with an average rating of 1.35 or lower — often reserved for teams with silver and bronze drivers.
Verstappen’s team competes in the Pro class, which features a total of 13 cars. There are nine cars in the Pro/Am class and five in the Am class during NLS2.
How can Verstappen race at the Nurburgring during the F1 season?
Verstappen had already regularly expressed his ambition to compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours. This year, the stars aligned for the Red Bull F1 driver, as the enduro falls between the Miami and Canadian grands prix. However, Verstappen also emphasised that he would only participate if he could properly prepare for the race, so the idea of competing in an NLS race quickly came up.
The first two races of the NLS season, however, coincided with the F1 races in China and Japan. Mercedes-AMG lobbied the NLS organisation to postpone the first race by a week so that Verstappen could still participate. That didn’t happen, but the NLS organisation recognised the positive impact of Verstappen’s participation and decided, as a compromise, to move NLS2 up by a week instead. As a result, NLS2 fell between the F1 races in China and Japan.
What does the schedule for NLS2 look like?
The NLS championship follows a standard schedule for most weekends. This involves a compact programme. Qualifying for NLS2 begins on Saturday, March 21, at 8:30 am and runs until 10:00 am. Fans in attendance can then enjoy the pit walk from 10:20 am to 11:00 am, before the cars head to the starting grid at 11:00 am for the pre-race procedure. The race starts at 12:00 pm and ends at 4:00 pm. Only during NLS7 will the checkered flag be waved at 6:00 pm. All times are listed above are in CET.
Date: 21 March (Saturday)
Race start: 11:00am GMT / 12:00pm CET
| Session | GMT | CET | ET | PT | AEDT | JST | GST | IST | CST |
| Qualifying | 07:30 | 08:30 | 03:30 | 00:30 | 18:30 | 16:30 | 11:30 | 13:00 | 15:30 |
| Race | 11:00 | 12:00 | 07:00 | 04:00 | 22:00 | 20:00 | 15:00 | 16:30 | 19:00 |
Where can you watch NLS2 live?
The second race of the NLS championship will be streamed live on ADAC Motorsports's YouTube channel with German and English commentary. Additionally, Verstappen’s sim racing team, Team Redline, will be following the team’s performance live via Twitch.
