NLS 4 & 5 take place this weekend and are called the Nürburgring 24H Qualifiers. But with qualifying also taking place on the 24-hour race weekend, here is why this weekend's race matters, plus an explanation of the Nürburgring 24 Hours qualifying format.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours race is fast approaching and the NLS paddock knows it. In fact, just one month separates the 150-car-strong field from the start of the race meaning this weekend's NLS racing is the last chance for teams to get competitive running in before the big one.
But this weekend is more than just any old race weekend for the NLS. A double-header weekend hosting both NLS 4 and NLS 5, those being technically rounds 3 and 4 following NLS 1's cancellation due to unsafe weather conditions, this weekend actually gains the name "ADAC 24h Qualifiers." In parts, the two races run this weekend will help form the grid for next month's 24-hour race. But it is not all that easy.
Nürburgring 24H Qualifying Explained
The first thing to note that separates this weekend's running from previous NLS rounds is that the field will run on the same layout as the 24-hour race, rather than the NLS layout that cuts half of the GP-loop and runs around the AMG Arena section at the start of the lap. Instead, cars will shuffle through the tricky Turn 1 chicane before running down to the Dunlop Kehre.
But that is not the only thing that makes this weekend unique in NLS circles. Firstly, the first race of the weekend, taking place on Saturday, will run into the night with a 17:30 CEST start time. Meanwhile, Sunday's qualifying format gets an extra step beyond the usual single session, with Top Qualifying mimicking the same session for the 24-hour race weekend as the fastest cars in SP9 (the class dedicated to GT3 machines) enter a car-by-car dash for two laps to set the fastest time possible.
Will the BMW M3 Touring secure a Top Qualifying 3 allocation this weekend? Image: BMW Motorsport Press
The real reason this weekend is called the 24h Qualifiers however is that a team's performance in NLS 4 and NLS 5 can provide a leg up as we move towards the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
In the run-up to the N24, its qualifying format gets several steps of knock-out qualifying before arriving at Top Qualifying 3, a session for the 12 fastest cars around the 'Ring. However, those 12 are not in truth the 12 fastest cars taking part in qualifying as six of those slots are allocated before the N24 weekend even begins. The first two are offered to teams with the fastest and second fastest theoretical race times across the first three NLS rounds and a third given to the team with the fastest theoretical qualifying time over those three rounds. We say theoretical as these lap times will come from a car's absolute best sector times set in races or qualifying sessions.
Now, we get to this weekend's importance as the fastest theoretical qualifying time across the two sessions this weekend will provide one team with a spot in TQ3 for the N24. And two more spots will go to the two fastest times in race running. To simplify that, here is a table explaining how each Top Qualifying 3 entry is allocated for the N24:
N24 Top Qualifying AllocationCriteria for Entry1Fastest in TQ22Second Fastest in TQ23Third Fastest in TQ24Fourth Fastest in TQ25Fifth Fastest in TQ26Sixth Fastest in TQ27Fastest Theoretical Qualifying Time in NLS 1, 2, 38Fastest Theoretical Race Lap Time in NLS 1, 2, 39Second Fastest Theoretical Race Lap Time in NLS 1, 2, 310Fastest Theoretical Qualifying Time in 24h Qualifiers11Fastest Theoretical Race Lap Time in 24h Qualifiers12Second Fastest Theoretical Race Lap Time in 24h QualifiersWith all that in-mind, teams will be eager to run as fast as possible this weekend to ensure any minor gremlins during qualifying at the Nürburgring 24 Hours do not impact their chances of a position at the front of the grid. So expect to see much faster lap times this weekend than in previous NLS rounds in 2026.
Is Max Verstappen Racing in NLS this Weekend?
In short, yes. With the Formula One season's spring hiatus still in full effect, Max Verstappen is once again choosing to fill his weekend with a jaunt around the Nürburgring aboard his team's Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. The Dutch four-time F1 World Champion will join his Mercedes factory driving teammate, Lucas Auer. For this weekend, both Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon with whom the pair will share the car in the Nürburgring 24 Hours are otherwise occupied with the World Endurance Championship - the former with Genesis and the latter with Alpine.
Falken Motorsport returns to the NLS as toughest Verstappen Racing challenge. Image: Porsche Press
Verstappen Racing is not the only top contender taking part this weekend however as, with just one weekend left to gather data ahead of the big one, all the top teams are taking to the track. Trying to take the fight to the #3 will be big names like Scherer Sport, the team that posed Verstappen Racing the biggest challenge in its previous event, last year's early-season dominating force of #44 Falken Motorsport, ROWE Racing in the #99 BMW and frequent top contender Red Bull ABT, still running the #84 Lamborghini Huracan.
If that was not enough challenge for Max Verstappen, he will be racing his young sim-to-real-racing protégé, Chris Lulham who joins Mikael Grenier and Adam Christodoulou in the #26 Mercedes.
How to Watch NLS 4 & 5
If you are still missing Formula One and want to watch Max Verstappen behind the wheel again this weekend, every NLS race is available to watch live and for free on YouTube - the official NLS channel providing a full-race broadcast in both German and English.
As the Nürburgring approaches its biggest race of the year, the broadcast will also feature full-race onboard to track live including Max Verstappen's #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. You will find both races on the official Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie YouTube channel.
To better work out when both NLS 4 and NLS 5 will get underway, here is our guide on when to tune into the broadcast this weekend. Saturday will see the race kick off much later than previous rounds, ending around twilight whilst NLS 5 gets a more traditional 1pm local start time.
DaySessionStart Time (UTC)Saturday 18 AprilNLS 4 Qualifying06:30Saturday 18 AprilNLS 415:30Sunday 19 AprilNLS 5 Qualifying06:15Sunday 19 AprilTop Qualifying08:40Sunday 19 AprilNLS 511:00Will you be watching this weekend's Nurburgring races? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our motorsport forum!