Nyck de Vries shares his adventurous journey back home amid the flood in Emilia Romagna region as he couldn’t make to to Faenza.
With the F1 Emilia Romagna GP being a home grand prix for AlphaTauri, de Vries naturally had more marketing work to be done not just at the factory but elsewhere as well. As the weekend approached, the Dutchman was gearing up for his work too.
He was driving towards Faenza to kick-start the F1 weekend when he got stuck in the flood. De Vries couldn’t get to his hotel and had to spend a night in an overbooked hotel in a village where a person helped him with the keys to his hotel room.
That hotel became an emergency center for people. With the grand prix getting cancelled, de Vries had no option but to return home via road which he eventually did. Upon returning, he was thankful to everyone who helped him in this adventurous journey.
“Tuesday evening 11:30 pm, on my way to Faenza ahead of a marketing day at the SAT factory on Wednesday,” wrote de Vris. “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 hartwarming 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,” summed de Vries.
Imola, autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola allagato, Gran Premio Formula 1 annullato #imola #formula1 #granpremio #emiliaromagna #localteam pic.twitter.com/PqOoXmfBnO
— Local Team (@localteamtv) May 17, 2023
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