The Italian Grand Prixwon by the Leclerc’s Ferrariwas rich in plot twists from the very beginning, even before the drivers took to the track in Monza. In fact, on Thursday the safety car crashed on the outside of the Parabolica curve at the Monza racetrack during free practice.
The safety car of the accident in Monza
Bernd Mayländer was behind the wheel of the Aston Martin Vantage that crashed into the barriers. We analyze what happened and what caused the loss of control of the vehicle.
The accident, from which the driver fortunately emerged unharmed, occurred during the usual free laps of the track carried out by the drivers of the safety car and the medical car for train and inspect the track on the day when the cars are not running.
What happened, causes of the safety car accident in Monza
During Thursday testing, the Safety Car usually runs higher speeds compared to the race ones. Bernd Mayländer, Safety Car driver since 2000, was practically left without brakes due to a technical problem when braking at the Parabolica curve.
The curve, recently modernized with a light banking to improve drainage, may also have favored a higher speed of mileage but the most accredited cause is that of the technical problem. Aston Martin has also announced a investigation on the incident to clarify the causes that led to the brake failure. Someone has also hypothesized causes coming from the tires or a suspension.
A “slip” at the exit of the Ascari could be the cause
Another hypothesis on the cause of the F1 safety car accident at Monza could be that Bernd Mayländer found himself without brakes at the Parabolica braking point, with the pedal going flat at the first braking. This situation usually occurs following a “slackening” (travelling with the right wheels on the kerb indicated in red in the photo) at the exit of the ASCARI curve following which strong oscillations of the wheel group are triggered which could have caused the classic retraction of the pistons of the right calipers (more likely the front one).
By the way, looking carefully at the video you can see that at the first braking the Aston points to the left probably having the right caliper with the pistons retracted and this movement then caused the car to spin. The ASTON brakes are very high performance, carbon ceramic with a diameter of 410 mm front, six-piston caliper and 360 mm rear with 4-piston caliper. The Vantage F1 Edition mounts ultra-performance tires in the size 255/35 R21 front and 295/30 R21 rear.
Life-saving maneuver?
According to several sources, Mayländer, having detected a brake malfunction, attempted to control the car by inducing oversteer in order to avoid a head-on impact with the barriers.
Let’s say that drivers know well that on the track after having traveled a stretch on kerbs (the non-smooth but serrated ones that cause vibrations of the wheel group) it is always vital to bring the pistons closer together by pressing the brake pedal before braking, also using the left foot while the right is busy pressing the accelerator pedal all the way down.
Read also:
→ Aston Martin F1 safety car, features
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