Verstappen “in shock” after fatal Nordschleife crash in Germany kills Finnish driver
F1 driver Max Verstappen said he is "in shock by what has happened" after a fatal multi-car crash on the Nordschleife in Germany during a Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) race, which killed Finnish driver Juha Miettinen, 66, and left six others injured Saturday afternoon.
The crash occurred shortly before 6 p.m. in the third lap near the exit of the Klostertal section, just before a steep part of the Nordschleife. Organizers have not officially confirmed the cause, but seven cars were involved. The race was immediately stopped.
Verstappen told AD that the incident highlighted the risks of motorsport. “We all love motorsport, but these kinds of moments are a reminder of how dangerous it can be,” he said.
Misha Charoudin, a Russian-born Dutch driver who was racing, said fluid on the track appeared to play a role. “We were 200 meters behind the accident. You could see many cars losing control,” Charoudin told AD. “It’s a very fast section, so if you cannot brake, it can go very wrong there.”
The crash's impact was also described by drivers familiar with the circuit. Dutch driver Rudy van Buren said the section is normally driven at extremely high speed. “You come there rapidly, well above 200 kilometers per hour,” Van Buren said. “There is a blind right-hand corner where you are almost full throttle. Normally, you position the car and brake for the corner where it went wrong now.”
The series features mixed classes on track at the same time, often with 60 to 70 cars competing together, compared with 22 in Formula 1.
