WATCH: F1 experiences strangest accident before Italian Grand Prix

In an unexpected turn of events ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, a high-speed test session was brought to an abrupt end due to a strange incident. The F1 Safety Car, an Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition, taking place today at the legendary Monza circuit, suffered a serious accident. The Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition, driven by the talented Bernd Maylander, was involved in the crash.

The accident occurred at the Parabolica corner, a difficult section of the track known for its challenging corners. According to videos from the scene, the car lost control, skidded across the asphalt run-off area, raced through the gravel and hit the tire barriers with full force.

What makes this incident particularly interesting is not only the drama of the accident, but also the car involved; scenarios like this with the Safety Cars or Medical Cars in F1 are extremely rare.

Miraculously, Bernd Maylander and his co-driver escaped unharmed and were able to leave the damaged vehicle under their own power. They were quickly rescued with the help of the Formula 1 medical car, which was also on the track for routine checks.

The cause of the accident is currently under investigation, with speculation pointing to a possible mechanical failure or an unusually rare error by Maylander. Adding to the mystery is the fact that the car recently underwent a significant performance upgrade, including a new grille design, revised bodywork and more power – an increase of 150bhp for a total of 656bhp. Perhaps it was the extra horsepower that caused the car to be thrown off the tarmac.

In the past, there have been few but memorable incidents involving Formula One support vehicles. At the 2000 Monaco Grand Prix, Alex Ribeiro crashed into the guard rails during a test run, and Ribeiro was also almost involved in an accident at the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix when the door of a stationary car was hit by another vehicle.

The schedule for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix remains as planned, with first practice starting at 1:30 p.m. local time on Friday, followed by several more sessions leading up to Sunday's Grand Prix, which begins at 3:00 p.m. local time. Fans in the United States can watch the action on ESPN, which will broadcast the Sky F1 feed, while viewers in the UK can tune in to Sky Sports F1 or use the streaming service NowTV for live coverage.

Italian Grand Prix 2024 – when to watch

Friday, August 30

Exercise 1:

Local time: 13:30 – 14:30
London: 12:30 – 13:30
Los Angeles: 04:30 – 05:30
New York: 07:30 – 08:30
Tokyo: 20:30 – 21:30
Shanghai: 19:30 – 20:30

Exercise 2:

Local time: 17:00 – 18:00
London: 16:00 – 17:00
Los Angeles: 08:00 – 09:00
New York: 11:00 – 12:00
Tokyo: 00:00 – 01:00 (Saturday, August 31)
Shanghai: 23:00 – 00:00

Saturday, August 31

Exercise 3:

Local time: 12:30 – 13:30
London: 11:30 – 12:30
Los Angeles: 03:30 – 04:30
New York: 06:30 – 07:30
Tokyo: 19:30 – 20:30
Shanghai: 18:30 – 19:30

qualification:

Local time: 16:00 – 17:00
London: 15:00 – 16:00
Los Angeles: 07:00 – 08:00
New York: 10:00 – 11:00
Tokyo: 23:00 – 00:00
Shanghai: 22:00 – 23:00