LIVE | Follow Max Verstappen back in action for Nurburgring 24 Hours Qualifying 2

For some, Thursday is a proper qualifying day, but it acts primarily as preparation for Verstappen and his teammates Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer, with Top Qualifying on Friday being when the battle for Pole Position really heats up for teams from the leading categories. The Verstappen Racing team is competing in a Red Bull-liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO in the top SP9 class.

Qualifying 1 was a rather chaotic two-hour affair on Thursday afternoon, with one incident - when the #146 Porsche collided with a stationary #900 Porsche with driver Alexander Hartt only a few yards away from his car - a particularly worrying moment.

Verstappen, however, impressed during the opening session - topping the timing charts just over an hour in with an 8:18.539 before he was swapped with Juncadella. That time was enough to keep Verstappen Racing in P3 by the end of the action as rain began to fall.

Speaking of rain, there is a chance it will feature during the weekend, potentially adding to the challenge of a first-ever nighttime stint for Verstappen at the 'Green Hell.' Luckily, the Red Bull driver is relishing that challenge, telling Verstappen.com: “It’s probably going to be the best feeling. You’re by yourself, pushing in the night. The car is normally fastest in the night, so I'm looking forward to it.”

Qualifying 2 is set to take place from 20:00 to 23:30 local time (19:00-22:30 BST) and is mandatory for all drivers. Failure to take part in this session will result in a disqualification from the event entirely. After that, it's an early start on Friday for Top Qualifying, with the first session underway at 08:50-09:25 local time (07:50-08:25 BST)