Nyck de Vries has taken to Instagram to reveal how he was stuck due to the extreme weather in Italy, and how a McLaren team member helped him in his predicament.
The race at the Imola circuit this weekend has been called off by F1 due to the heavy rain and floods we have seen in the Emilia Romagna region, with the sport conscious of the fact they’d be placing extra burden on already stretched emergency services if they went ahead with the GP weekend, whilst it’s also treacherous for fans, media, and team personnel to be travelling in the area.
The correct decision, then, and De Vries’ post on social media has recently underlined the level of destruction and upheaval that has inflicted the region in the last few days and weeks, with him getting stuck and needing the help of a McLaren team member.
Taking to Instagram, the Dutch driver posted:
“Tuesday evening 11:30 pm, on my way to Faenza ahead of a marketing day at the SAT factory on Wednesday.
“It’s raining intense, Faenza is already flooded and I am unable to get to my hotel. Returning to the highway is no option either.
“Stuck in a little village with one fully booked hotel. Fortunately, McLaren got stranded there earlier and their front jack Frazer was kind enough to give me his room.
“The following morning, the hotel lobby turned into an emergency shelter for people who were forced to escape their homes during the night. Post F1 announcement, I only saw one potential option to get home, which was driving via Firenze.
“After an adventurous drive through the mountains, thanks to the help from local people and authorities in different villages, I finally got home safely.
“Thank you to every single person who has been kind enough to help me. It was truly heartwarming to see so many look out for each other. My thoughts are with those who continue to be affected by this tragedy. I’ll be back soon in Faenza to meet my team and the people from the region! Forza 🙏🏻”
F1 were left with little option but to cancel the race, so that the emergency services could focus fully on the relief effort.
The championship will look into whether the GP can be held later on in the year but, with an already jam-packed schedule, that currently seems unlikely.
