Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen’s NLS return has been overshadowed by a serious multi-car incident that has led the race to be suspended.

Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen returns to the Nurburgring this weekend for the Nurburgring 24 qualifiers, which comprise NLS4 and NLS5.

The opening four-hour race of the weekend began at 5:30pm local time, but was red-flagged with around three hours and 35 minutes remaining.

The cause of the red flag was unclear initially, though reports began to surface of a multi-car crash at the Klostertal section of the Nordschleife.

No footage was shown on live broadcasts, though images from car onboards have surfaced showing the aftermath of the incident.

It is thought that fluid was deposited on the circuit by one car, which led to seven vehicles in total getting caught up in the incident.

The race was placed under red flag conditions for well over two hours before being suspended indefinitely by the organisers.

Medical teams have been dispatched to the scene to attend to injured drivers, according to a statement from the organisers.

The full statement on the incident read: “A total of seven vehicles were involved in the multi-vehicle collision in the Klostertal area.

“Those affected include car numbers 27 Wahl/Ronnefarth/Dumarey/Bockmann (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3); 111 Becker/Spolgen (BMW 325i e90); 121 Miettinen/Beghult (BMW 325i e90); 410 Croci/Larbi/Ackermann/Le Bihan (Porsche Cayman CM12); 503 Tamm/Egger/Hokfelt (Toyota Supra); 992 Griesemann/Griesemann/Adorf/ Holzer (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Manthey).

“Rescue operations for several injured drivers are currently in full swing.

“We will provide further updates from race control as soon as more information becomes available.”

Red flags at the Nurburgring are rare, with stoppages usually only occurring for weather reasons, which hinted at the severity of the incident prior to the race’s suspension.

At the red flag, the No.84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini driven by Luca Engstler, Mirko Bortolotti and Patric Niederhauser was leading.

The No.3 Team Verstappen Mercedes, driven by Max Verstappen’s team-mate Lucas Auer at the time, was running in ninth.

Organisers later confirmed at 7pm BST that one driver, Juha Miettinen, has tragically died.