A visibly shaken Oliver Goethe was immediately checked over by medics after his involvement in a horrific crash during the Formula Two feature race in Baku. Multiple drivers were caught up in the scary incident, which took place just seconds after the five red lights went out.
The pile-up was caused by Kush Maini appearing to stall his car on the starting grid, with the drivers behind him flying past at speed while he remained stationary. Eventually, he was hit from behind by several cars with debris flying all over the circuit.
Pepe Marti’s car was dramatically overturned, while Goethe was also left unable to continue after picking up heavy damage. Remarkably, there were no injuries but Goethe was clearly shaken up while being tended to by medics at the side of the track.
The red flags were promptly waved, bringing the race to a halt after only a few seconds. Isack Hadjar, who managed to avoid the incident, was shocked by what happened and said via team radio: “Oh my god, that was really bad.”
A social media post from F2 later said: “It’s a testament to the safety procedures put in place that everyone involved is OK.”
Richard Verschoor went on to take the chequered flag at the end of the race, which was shortened due to the first-lap incident. It ended up with a timer counting down from 35 minutes, as opposed to drivers completing a set number of laps.
Verschoor held Victor Martins at arm’s length to claim his fourth F2 victory in a typically chaotic race on the streets of Baku. Martins had the pace but was unable to challenge for the win due to Gabriele Mini crashing into a wall, which saw the race finish behind the safety car.
Kimi Antonelli, who will drive for Mercedes in Formula One next season, took the final spot on the podium by finishing third. Gabriel Bortoleto came home in fourth to move into the championship lead with Isack Hadjar and Zane Maloney, his closest contenders, finishing outside the points.
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