An official update has been provided following a major crash at the 24hr Nurburgring race in Germany
A driver has died following a multi-car collision at Nurburgring (Image: Nurburgring )
Driver Juha Miettinen has tragically lost his life following a fatal crash at the 24hr Nurburgring race in Germany. The event was halted after seven cars became caught up in a massive pile-up, with the remaining six drivers reported to be in non-life-threatening danger.
A statement from race control bulletin confirmed: “During the first race of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers (18 April 2026), a serious accident involving seven competitors occurred in the early stages of the race.
“Following the collision involving several vehicles, race control immediately halted the race to allow for extensive recovery and rescue operations.
“Despite the immediate arrival of emergency services, the paramedics were unable to save the driver involved, Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, #121); the driver died in the Medical Centre after all attempts at resuscitation proved unsuccessful.
“The other six drivers involved were taken to the Medical Centre and nearby hospitals for precautionary examinations. None of the injured are in a life-threatening condition.
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“The race will not resume on Saturday evening. The thoughts of everyone involved in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring are with the bereaved family of Juha Miettinen.
“A minute’s silence will be held in memory of the late motorsport competitor during the grid formation for Sunday’s race at 13:00.”
A red flag brought proceedings to an abrupt halt, though it was initially uncertain as to what had actually taken place. Ambulances were seen rushing to the scene as all cars were instructed to head into the pit lane, before news emerged that seven vehicles had been involved in the incident.
The race was suspended indefinitely, with an official statement released almost an hour after the red flag, reading: “Rescue operations for several injured riders are currently in full swing. We will provide an update from Race Control as soon as further information becomes available.”
Earlier in the day, Max Verstappen’s team had been handed a three-grid penalty after team-mate Lucas Auer was deemed to have caused a collision with a Porsche driver. Having originally qualified in sixth place, they were subsequently dropped down to ninth on the grid.
