A driver died at the Nürburgring and the race in which Verstappen was going to participate was suspended

A driver died this Saturday after an accident on the Nordschleife circuit in NurburgringGermany, where Max Verstappen was going to participate in the previous stage of the mythical race of 24 hours with the Mercedes GT3.

The organizers of the qualifying phase of the Nürburgring 24 Hours reported that the German Juha Miettinen66, died after an accident in which they were involved seven cars.

“Following the collision between several vehicles, race management immediately stopped the test to allow extensive recovery and rescue operations,” they said in a statement.

Despite the immediate arrival of emergency services, paramedics were unable to save Miettinen, after having extracted him from the vehicle; the driver died at the medical center after all resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.

The organizers indicated that the other six drivers were taken to the medical center and nearby hospitals to undergo preventive examinations and that none were in critical condition.

Verstappen, who is using this weekend’s racing as part of his preparation for his first 24-hour endurance race at the historic circuit on May 16 and 17, posted a message of condolence on social media.

“I am shocked by what happened today. Motorsport is something we all love, but at times like this it reminds us how dangerous it can be”wrote the four-time F1 champion in instagram.

“I send my most sincere condolences to Juha’s family and loved ones,” he concluded.

A minute’s silence will be observed in memory of Miettinen during the formation of the starting grid for Sunday’s race.

With almost 21 kilometers of route through the forested hills of Germany, more than 150 corners and barriers often very close to the track, the Nordschleife layout at the Nürburgring is known for its excitement and high risk: Formula 1 has not used it since 1976, when then champion Niki Lauda suffered serious burns in an accident.

This weekend, Max was prepared to participate in the qualifying races, the name given to the competitions marked as the fourth and fifth dates of the NLS season (the 24 Hours are not part of the tournament agenda). Although they are called qualifying, they are not used to create the starting grid or anything like that.

For this race, Verstappen will be accompanied by Lucas Auer, official Mercedes-AMG driver who was in the car at the time of the accident. Juncadella and Gounon will be in Imola for the first round of the WEC (the Spaniard races with Genesis and Gounon, with Alpine). For the May race, the four runners will make up the crew.