Both occupants emerged unscathed from the frightening incident, though the cause of the crash is still unknown.
The Aston Martin Vantage used as the Formula 1 safety car crashed on Thursday during routine testing ahead of this weekend’s race at Monza. Although neither occupant was injured, the cause of the crash remains unclear.
Video footage suggests that safety car driver Bernd Maylander lost control while entering the Parabolica corner, one of the fastest turns on the track. The car veered off the pavement at high speed, spinning before ultimately colliding with the barriers.
Here's the video of the Safety Car crashing at Parabolicapic.twitter.com/w1JyPaEnCO
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 29, 2024
The unusual circumstances of the crash—particularly how the car behaved during braking—have sparked online theories suggesting a mechanical issue rather than driver error might be to blame. Some speculate that the brakes could have overheated, leading Maylander to intentionally induce a slide to slow the car down.
“The FIA has confirmed there was an on-track incident involving the FIA Safety Car today at Monza,” the statement read. “Aston Martin is investigating the cause, but both the driver and passenger are fine. An additional Safety Car is available at the circuit, so the incident will not affect the weekend’s event.”
This isn’t the first safety car drama. At the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix, Nick Heidfeld crashed into the door of the parked Mercedes medical car just moments before driver Alex Ribeiro exited, narrowly avoiding serious injury. Two years earlier, at the Monaco Grand Prix, Ribeiro had crashed the medical car into the barriers during a test run.
