Juha Miettinen dies aged 66 in horror seven-car Nurburgring crash in race Max Verstappen was competing in

Racing driver Juha Miettinen has been tragically killed in a horror crash at Germany’s Nurburgring in a competition Max Verstappen is involved in.

The 66-year-old was involved in a seven-car crash at 24 Hours of Nurburgring Qualifiers Race 1.

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Verstappen was competing in the race at the time, but he wasn’t involved in the incident.

The red flag was quickly waved and ambulances arrived on the scene.

The rest of the cars went into the pit lane, including Verstappen’s Mercedes, who is competing due to the Bahrain Grand Prix being cancelled.

And it has now been confirmed that Miettinen has passed away.

The rest of the event on Saturday was scrapped as a result of the crash.

A minute’s silence will be held in Juha’s memory during the grid formation for Sunday’s race.

In a statement, race control said: “During the first race of the ADAC 24h Nurburgring 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.

Shutterstock Editorial

Shutterstock Editorial

“None of the injured are in a life-threatening condition. The race will not resume on Saturday evening.

“The thoughts of everyone involved in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring 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.”

His close friend and Motorsports photographer Jochen Van Cauwenberge was quick to post a tribute on social media.

He remarked: “The worst kind of news has just hit all of us at Nurburgring where Juha Miettinen lost his life today in a multiple car collision.

“I’ve known Juha for 20 years, each one of them filled to the brim with him enjoying driving the Nurburgring, one of those guys that never seemed to be able to get enough of the place and was always there with a smile. RIP my friend.”

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Ahead of the race in his final social media post, Miettinen expressed his excitement at the weekend of racing.

He said: “Ready for the N24H Qually races. Two races in two days. The first one into the night.

“The second one way too early in the morning, just so you get a taste of that Nürburgring 24H race feeling…”