F1 star rescued by McLaren employee after flooding left him stranded in village

F1 star Nyck de Vries was rescued by a McLaren mechanic after heavy flooding left him stuck without a hotel. The AlphaTauri star revealed he was unable to access the hotel he had booked for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, leaving him stranded just days before the race was due to start.

However, De Vries praised a McLaren engineer who gave him access to his room as the situation worsened. De Vries posted on Instagram: “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.” F1 personnel were asked to leave the paddock on Tuesday due to the risk of flooding around the circuit.

The race was cancelled less than 24 hours later after images showed much of the paddock under water. The major concern comes from the Santerno River which runs parallel to Imola’s opening sector.

Further rain is also expected over the weekend which would only worsen the problem for teams and fans. Former F1 meteorologist Michele Salmi stressed a flood exceeding “level 3 “ was in sight as early as Tuesday afternoon.

De Vries shared images of his trip, showing mudslides and debris blocking roads out of the region. He reassured concerned fans he had returned home where he sent his thoughts to those affected by the disaster.

The 28-year-old also posted details of how to donate to an emergency flood relief fund supported by many of the drivers on the grid.

He added: “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.”