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The Autodromo Nazionale Monza claimed its first victim of the 2024 Italian GP at Monza on Thursday, and it was the safety car! The Aston Martin Vantage, which is the official safety car for the 2024 F1 season, suffered a crash at Parabolica on the media day of the race weekend.
The Italian GP got off to a nervy start after the safety car suffered an unusual twist on the track, and as a result, ended up hitting the barriers. The car suffered minor damages around the side and bonnet. However, it is unlikely to impact the proceedings of the Grand Prix as an additional safety car is placed at the circuit.
The video of the crash is given below:
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Bernd Maylander was the man behind the wheels of the safety car, a job he has been doing since 2000. The FIA confirmed that there were no injuries to Maylander and the passenger he was accompanied by. The FIA released a statement on this. It read:
"There was an on-track incident with the FIA safety car today at Monza. 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."
Formula 1 is in Italy for the 16th race of the 2024 season. Red Bull's Max Verstappen arrived in Monza as the drivers' championship leader with 295 points, ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who have 225, and 192 points, respectively.
Ferrari celebrates carbon fiber at F1 Italian GP
Ferrari has unveiled a special look for the upcoming Italian GP, a home race for the Italian team. The SF-24 will sport a subtly different look than usual when it takes to the track on Friday.
The Prancing Horse has replaced the usual yellow driver numbers on the SF-24 with blackish carbon-colored numbers. Besides, team drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will wear black race overalls, helmets, and sunglasses during the Grand Prix weekend.
"During the Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza, Scuderia Ferrari HP, along with some of its partners will celebrate a material that is state of the art when it comes to building racing cars, namely carbon fiber. Its main virtues are light weight and strength, which have allowed the sport to make great progress in terms of safety," a Ferrari statement read.
Ferrari trails Red Bull and McLaren in the constructors' championship. Red Bull leads with 434 points, followed by McLaren (404) and Ferrari (370).
