Max Verstappen Nurburgring race stopped by red flag after multiple cars in 'very big' crash

Red flag at Nurburgring — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen Nurburgring race stopped by red flag after multiple cars in 'very big' crash

Max Verstappen's race came to a halt following a crash with 'six or seven' cars

By Vincent Bruins.

Saturday 18 April 2026 18:56

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Race 1 of the ADAC 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers was abruptly halted with red flags after less than 30 minutes on track following a tragic multi-car accident which would later claim the life of driver Juha Miettinen.

Just over two hours after the incident, at 8pm local time (7pm UK), organisers announced that the 66-year-old Miettinen had passed away as a result of his injuries, after attempts to save him had proved unsuccessful.

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Race halted

The race, also featuring four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen (who was not driving when the accident happened), had earlier begun smoothly but it was red flagged at 16:55:44 UK time following the crash.

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The incident happened at a tight hairpin just before the Karussell, where fluids had apparently covered the track. It remains unclear whether every driver emerged unscathed or when the session might be resume, with the race officially suspended by race control with a statement later claiming an update with more 'information' would be provided at 7pm UK time. That update came with the tragic news that Miettinen had passed away and the race had been cancelled.

The cars involved in the accident were No. 27 PROsport Aston Martin (SP 9), No. 111 JS Competition BMW 325i, No. 121 Keeevin BMW 325i, No. 410 rent2Drive Porsche Cayman (V6), No. 448 Porsche Cayman (V5) and No. 503 GITI TIRE BMW 330i, No. 992 Manthey (SP-Pro).

Bjorn Griesemann of the 992 Manthey was unharmed, according to his team.

'There was a very big crash'

Misha Charoudin, who was driving right behind the incident, explained what happened to Viaplay: "There was a very big crash. Someone left fluid behind and I think six or seven cars crashed into each other, so there is a huge traffic jam. You approach that stretch at 220 kilometers per hour and if you can't brake..."

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