De Vries (AlphaTauri) blocked by the flood on his way to the Imola GP – Corriere.it

Emilia Romagna is on its knees due to bad weather, the Imola GP scheduled for Sunday 19 May was canceled “because – as explained Stefano Domenicali, president of Formula 1 – it was the only right decision for everyone”. Among the most affected areas there is Faenza, where the AlphaTauri factory stands. Several workers at the Red Bull-owned stable lost everything in the flood.

The pilot Nyck DeVries he experienced firsthand the disasters caused by the flood. He was already in the area before the cancellation of the race, Tuesday evening he had set off to reach Faenza where the day after he was supposed to participate in an event with the sponsors.

“It’s raining heavily – he explained in a post on Instagram -, the city is already flooded, the roads blocked, and I can’t get to my hotel. It is not possible to go back on the motorway ». The Dutchman from AlphaTauri is at the wheel of a supercar, the Honda Nsx, and cannot continue. «I was stuck in a small village, I find a hotel but everything is full. There are also some guys from McLaren, one of the mechanics (Frazer ed) is kind enough to let me have his room. In the morning, the hall has become an emergency shelter, it is full of people forced to flee their homes. A few hours later the F1 announcement arrives, the Imola GP will not be raced.

De Vries decides to return to his home in Monte Carlo: «After an adventurous journey through the mountains, thanks to the help of the locals and the authorities of several villages, I finally arrived home safe and sound. Thanks to all the people who were kind enough to help me. The Formula E world champion will never forget what he saw: “It was moving see so much solidarity. All my thoughts go out to those affected by this tragedy. I will return to Faenza as soon as possible». His teammate at AlphaTauri, the Japanese Youki Tsunoda, on the other hand lives in the city and has recently documented the devastation caused by bad weather: “They were horrible nights”.