Image: APA/Rudy Carezzevoli
Because of the heavy rains and floods, he was stranded on the way to his hotel in a small village, the pilot of the Alpha Tauri team wrote on Instagram on Thursday.
The only accommodation there was fully booked. A mechanic from the McLaren racing team gave him his room, reported de Vries. The Dutchman had actually arrived in the stormy region of Emilia-Romagna on Tuesday evening because he had an advertising appointment at the team headquarters in Faenza on Wednesday. However, the city has been badly affected by the floods on the Adriatic coast.
De Vries reported that in the morning his hotel had become an emergency shelter for people who had to leave their homes at night. After the cancellation of the Grand Prix, he then tried to get home via Florence. “After an adventurous ride through the mountains, I finally got home safely thanks to the help of the residents and authorities in various villages,” wrote the racer.
He thanked all his helpers. “It was really heartwarming to see so many looking out for each other,” de Vries wrote. His thoughts are with the victims of the storm.
Source: Nachrichten