Motorsport mourns Juha Miettinen after fatal crash at Nürburgring Nordschleife. A tragic accident at the Nürburgring Nordschleife has claimed the life of 66-year-old driver Juha Miettinen.

Race suspended and will not resume

The 66-year-old Juha Miettinen has died following injuries sustained in a major accident involving seven cars during the second lap of the first of the two NLS “Qualifiers” races scheduled this weekend at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, events in which Max Verstappen is also entered. The chain-reaction crash appears to have been triggered by an oil spill in the Klostertal section, shortly before the Karussell.

A minute of silence before Sunday’s race

This is the official statement released by the Nürburgring: “During the first ADAC 24h Nürburgring qualifying race, a serious incident involving seven competitors occurred in the opening stages. Following the multi-car collision, race control immediately stopped the race to allow recovery and rescue operations. Despite the immediate intervention of emergency services, paramedics were unable to save one of the drivers involved, Juha Miettinen (driving the BMW 325i, number 121); the driver passed away at the medical center after all resuscitation attempts proved unsuccessful. The other six drivers involved were transported to the medical center and nearby hospitals for precautionary checks. None of the injured are in life-threatening condition. The race will not resume on Saturday evening. The thoughts of everyone involved in the Nürburgring 24 Hours are with the family of Juha Miettinen. A minute of silence will be observed in memory of the deceased driver before the start of Sunday’s race scheduled at 13:00.”

Max Verstappen was due to complete the second stint; at the moment of the incident, Lucas Auer was behind the wheel of the #3 Mercedes.