A tumultuous incident unfolded during a Formula 4 race on Saturday at Italy’s Imola circuit, where 15 drivers were involved in a major crash just 17 seconds after the start, leading to the suspension of the event. The chaos ensued when one car failed to move as the race began, causing a chain reaction of collisions as other drivers tried to avoid the stationary vehicle.
Footage captured the mayhem as competitors navigated around the motionless car, resulting in multiple collisions and eventually a significant crash at the rear of the 39-car grid. Debris littered the track, prompting officials to swiftly wave yellow and then red flags to halt the race for safety reasons. Fortunately, all drivers emerged from the crash unscathed.
Initially, the race was suspended, but due to noise restrictions at the circuit, authorities later decided to cancel the event entirely. The rescheduling of the race remains uncertain at this time. Some spectators questioned the high number of cars on the grid, comparing it to a typical Formula 1 race that features only 20 cars.
Amidst the aftermath, fans expressed astonishment at the severity of the accident, with one mentioning it as one of the most significant pile-ups in single-seater racing history. In a separate Formula 4 race earlier at Imola, Gabriel Gomez secured victory, edging out Salim Hanna Hernandez by a narrow margin of 0.616 seconds.
