A chaotic incident unfolded at Italy’s Imola circuit during a Formula 4 race on Saturday when 15 drivers were involved in a crash right at the start line, leading to the suspension of the event after only 17 seconds.
The mishap occurred in the second race of the day when one car failed to move as the race began. Footage captured the unfolding chaos as drivers tried to navigate around the stationary car, resulting in collisions among them. Subsequently, a major crash took place at the back of the 39-car grid, causing debris to scatter across the starting point.
Despite yellow flags being waved vigorously at the start, visibility issues led to many drivers being unaware. Consequently, a red flag was swiftly raised just 17 seconds into the race, prompting its suspension.
Fortunately, all drivers involved in the crash emerged unharmed. Officials initially halted the race but later decided to cancel it due to noise restrictions at the track. The rescheduling of the race remains uncertain.
Following the incident, some motorsport enthusiasts raised concerns over the high number of cars on the starting grid compared to a typical Formula 1 race, which usually features 20 cars. Social media discussions reflected questioning and criticism regarding the safety and logistics of having 39 cars in the race.
Fans expressed relief that despite the significant pile-up, no injuries were reported, dubbing it as one of the largest single-seater accidents in recent memory.
In the earlier Formula 4 race at Imola, Gabriel Gomez clinched victory by a narrow margin of 0.616 seconds over Salim Hanna Hernandez in what was the promotion’s inaugural event at the circuit.