Watch The Formula 1 Safety Car Have A Bizarre Crash

Usually in Formula 1, you only see the safety car when a crash has happened. Usually, that crash is a result of a race car ending up in the barriers. Yet, rather bizarrely, before any racing has even taken place at this week’s Italian GP, its first trip out has resulted in a rather ironic crash.

Bernd Maylander is no stranger behind the wheel of a Formula One safety car, having been the lead man for the role of its driver since 2000. On the Thursday ahead of each Grand Prix, he’ll take the safety car out run for a series of pre-event systems checks, and this race weekend was set to be no different.

Except this time, Maylander made an unscheduled visit to the tyre barriers at Monza’s Parabolica corner. As seen in a clip doing the rounds on social media, the German appears to lose control of the Aston Martin Vantage under braking before it snaps sideways and sails into the barriers at quite some speed.

As reported by CT’s sister site Crash.net, both Maylander has his passenger were unharmed in the incident and returned to the pit lane by an Aston DBX medical car.

Although slightly embarrassing, the crash shouldn’t have a bearing on the rest of the weekend with a backup car in place. A statement released by the FIA, the sanctioning body of Formula One, said: “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."

In defence of Maylander, it’s the first time the experienced retired racing driver has had an impact in an F1 safety car – an impressive feat considering the longevity of his career.