The Formula One weekend at Autodromo Nazionale Monza is already off to a bizarre start due to a safety car crashing and bringing out the red flag.
The incident occurred Thursday during the high-speed safety car test. According to Motorsport.com, safety car driver Bernd Maylander was taking part in his regularly scheduled session when he lost control and skipped through the gravel on the edges of the road course.
Here's the video of the Safety Car crashing at Parabolicapic.twitter.com/w1JyPaEnCO
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 29, 2024
Maylander's Aston Martin slammed into the tire barrier and remained there. Maylander and his passenger were both able to climb from the Vantage F1 Edition. Neither sustained injuries in the incident.
Formula One's medical car picked up Maylander and his passenger after the crash. It later continued its regularly scheduled session.
No information was available about the cause of the bizarre crash.
"There was an on-track incident with the FIA Safety Car today at Monza," the FIA said in a statement. "Aston Martin is investigating the cause but can confirm both driver and passenger are fine. There is an additional Safety Car at the circuit and it will not impact the weekend's event."
With the incident over, the Formula One teams and drivers will move forward with preparations for the 79th Grand Prix at the 5.793-kilometer road course.
Max Verstappen has won the last two Italian Grands Prix while leading a combined 67 laps. Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Charles Leclerc won the three races prior to Verstappen's current run.
Seven-time World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton has achieved a staggering amount of success at Monza. He has won five times in 17 starts at the Italian road course while leading 248 total laps.
Hamilton has not been in contention at Monza as frequently in recent seasons. He finished 17th in 2021 after a crash. He finished fifth and 5.380 seconds behind Verstappen in 2022. Hamilton crossed the line sixth and 42.679 seconds behind Verstappen in last year's event.