Max Verstappen's parallel project — qualifying for the 2026 ADAC Ravenol Nurburgring 24 Hours — was abruptly suspended on Sunday after a seven-car collision at Klostertal forced organisers to red-flag the four-hour qualifier on the Nordschleife.
The race was the third round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie and the second of the two qualifying races for next month's headline 24-hour event. Verstappen, sharing a Ferrari 296 GT3 entered through Emil Frey Racing as part of his ongoing GT3 programme, was running competitively when the incident unfolded at the multi-corner Klostertal section in the deeper sections of the circuit.
Broadcaster John Hindhaugh, calling the race for the global feed alongside Neil Cole, confirmed the scale of the incident as the cars sat queued at the pit exit awaiting news.
"The story is, with seven vehicles involved in a multi-car collision at Klostertal, there is still work going on there," Hindhaugh said. "That happened some time ago now. Right now, there's just over two hours and 32 minutes to go. This happened at 5:55 local time. So we've been under red for just over an hour."
Hindhaugh's broadcast partner had earlier highlighted the inherent danger of the Nordschleife sections in question. "One of the most dangerous corners on the most dangerous track in the world," the German co-commentator said, recalling a serious accident at the nearby Schwedenkreuz the previous year. "Schwedenkreuz is, with certainty, one of the most dangerous."
With the clock continuing to count down despite the stoppage, the practical effect was a sharp reduction in green-flag running for every qualifying entry — Verstappen included. The four-time Formula 1 world champion has been consistent throughout 2026 in describing the Nurburgring 24 as a personal goal, and his progression through the Nordschleife permit system over the past 18 months has been close to a full programme around his Red Bull commitments.
A red flag of this length on a qualifier is significant because both timing and on-track laps feed directly into grid position and car classification for the main 24-hour event in late June. Drivers and teams who lose a third of their session — as was the case here — typically end up taking a much more conservative approach to subsequent stints, conscious of the data they still need to gather before the headline race.
The broadcast did not confirm at the time whether the race would resume or be declared. "We don't know if there is going to be a resumption," Hindhaugh told viewers as he closed his window of coverage. "You'll understand that safety has to come first and the well-being of everybody involved in that incident."
For Verstappen, the incident is a reminder that the Nurburgring is unforgiving in a way that even Formula 1 venues are not. Whatever the championship balance looks like in the formula 1 paddock right now, his GT3 ambitions are running on a parallel and decidedly less predictable track.
Source: youtube.com