- Verstappen leads tributes after amateur racer Juha Miettinen dies at Nürburgring.
- Fluid leak at 220 kph turns Klostertal corner into scene of catastrophe during NLS4.
- Fifty-four races, 5 wins, 20 years of passion, the Nordschleife claims one of its own.
Max Verstappen was among the first to speak when the news came through. A man had died at the Nürburgring. His name was Juha Miettinen.
He was 66 years old, a Finn, an amateur racer, and someone who had spent the better part of two decades chasing laps around the most demanding circuit in the world. On Saturday, 18 April 2026, those laps ran out.
Miettinen lost his life after a seven-car collision during the NLS4 race, the first round of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers.
The crash happened roughly 25 minutes in, on the third lap, at the exit of the Klostertal right-hander. It was the first driver fatality on the Nordschleife during a race since June 2013.
Verstappen, the four-time Formula 1 world champion, was competing in the same race. He posted a tribute shortly after the sad news was broken.
What happened at the Nordschleife
The crash began, investigators believe, with a fluid leak. Something left a wet patch on the track. At Klostertal, cars arrive fast, and the exit drops steeply. There is very little room for error.
GT driver Misha Charoudin was right behind the accident when it unfolded. He told broadcaster Viaplay that drivers approach that section at around 220 kilometres per hour.
When braking becomes impossible there, he said, the consequences are catastrophic. Seven cars were caught in the chain reaction.
Among them were the No. 27 PROsport Aston Martin, the No. 503 GITI TIRE BMW 330i and the No. 121 Keeevin BMW 325i driven by Miettinen. Race control immediately showed the red flag. Live broadcasts cut away. The broadcast feed went dark.
Emergency crews reached Miettinen quickly and pulled him from his heavily damaged BMW.
They worked on him at the circuit’s medical centre. It was not enough. Organisers confirmed at a press conference at 8 p.m. local time that all attempts at resuscitation had failed.
The other six drivers involved were taken to the medical centre and nearby hospitals. Organisers confirmed none were in a life-threatening condition. The race did not resume that evening.
Verstappen and others respond with a heartfelt tribute
Verstappen had been preparing to take over the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 when the crash occurred. His team-mate Lucas Auer was at the wheel at the time, the car running ninth. Verstappen was not on track.
Writing on social media, Verstappen kept his words simple. He was shocked. He acknowledged the danger and offered his condolences to the family.
“Shocked by what happened today,” he wrote.
“Motorsport is something we all love, but in times like this it is a reminder of how dangerous it can be. Sending my heartfelt condolences to Juha’s family and loved ones.”
The wider motorsport community followed. Percy Wolff, a fellow competitor at the NLS, described Miettinen as a gentleman driver and a regular presence in the paddock for years.
He said Miettinen’s loss would be felt across the entire motorsport family, and that he had departed while living his passion.
A tribute shared on X by the Frozenspeed account captured something more personal.
It noted that Miettinen had been a familiar face at the circuit for over 20 years, always present, always smiling. A man who, the tribute said, could never get enough of the place.
The FIA also released a statement. It expressed sadness at Miettinen’s passing and said its thoughts were with his family, friends and everyone involved in the event.
Organisers confirmed that a minute’s silence would be held in his memory before the grid lined up for Sunday’s race.
A life dedicated to the Green Hell
Miettinen was born on 18 Jan. 1960. He called himself a Nordschleife lover, and it was not a casual description.
He had raced at the circuit regularly since around 2018, almost always in a BMW 325i, competing across the NLS, RCN and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
Over his career, he entered 54 races, started 53, and claimed five victories and 25 podium finishes. Those are the numbers of someone who showed up, year after year, because he wanted to be nowhere else.
His final Instagram post told that story plainly. After an earlier NLS round this month, he wrote about finishing first in class alongside co-driver Dan Berghult, 83rd overall from 139 cars.
He called it their all-time best result. He was celebrating when he wrote it.
Verstappen’s Nürburgring ambitions and the bigger picture
Verstappen’s presence at the Nürburgring this month is deliberate.
With F1 on a break following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, he added both the NLS4 and NLS5 to his schedule. His goal is the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring in May 2026.
He is competing for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, sharing the car with Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella.
It is serious preparation. Last September, Max Verstappen won on his GT3 debut at the Nordschleife, driving a Ferrari 296 GT3. He knows what the circuit demands.
His involvement has drawn global attention to the NLS series. This weekend, that spotlight landed on something much harder to look at.
As the paddock readies itself for Sunday, Miettinen’s memory will be there with every driver who walks to the grid.
The Nordschleife takes what it takes. The people who love it know this. They come back anyway. So did he, right up until the last time.
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