A terrifying accident during a Formula 3 car race in China has people right in Tampa Bay asking questions about safety at the Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg.
If you watch the video, you might understand why.
It happens at 171 mph, but from the right side of the screen, you can see a Formula 3 race car driven by 17-year-old Sophia Florsch of Germany going airborne, soaring over safety barriers and fences.
When we showed the video to people who’ve seen the Firestone Grand Prix weave through the streets of St. Pete, they couldn’t help but wonder if the same thing could happen here.
In the Macau accident, Florsch’s car clips another, launching it toward the stands. She ended up breaking her spine. Three people on the ground were also injured.
“Definitely, I think they should reassess like where, what the course is,” said Meghan Sommerkemp, after watching the video.
“Yeah, reassess the layout,” Jordan Maren said. “Not have that happen again.”
To find out whether such a thing could feasibly happen here, we visited the St. Pete offices of the St. Grand Prix and also called their offices in Ohio.
Race promoter Kim Green, CEO of Andretti Green Racing, declined to speak on camera. But on his way out to a meeting Monday, Green said the race in Macau "has nothing to do with us. Different race track. (Different) country. Different world.”
Still, a source very familiar with the race says if there’s an area of concern, it would be along a straight-away leading into Turn 10 of the St. Pete course near the Dali Museum. That’s where cars similarly gain enormous speed just before making a sharp left turn. On the other side of that roadway are several stands filled with sponsors and spectators.
Sergey Zagorgnev, a spectator who watches the race each year from his apartment in downtown St. Petersburg, says he’s witnessed several accidents.
“I know one corner, also, that’s very dangerous I would say is when they turn out from the museum to 1st Street,” Zagorgnev said after watching the video.
The City of St. Petersburg also has a lot riding on the Grand Prix in the way of sponsorships, economic impact and international attention. So far, they say, they’re leaving any response up to race organizers.
The press office for the Grand Prix said it had no official comment. Decisions about safety and track layout, they said, are left to the International Motorsport Federation, or FIA.
FIA released a statement on Twitter, saying, “The FIA is mobilized to help those involved and analyze what happened. We will monitor the situation and make necessary conclusions.”
“I guess that they should take a look at it,” said Rob Fazio, who has watched several of the downtown races speed past his building. “I don’t know the specifics of how that happened. But, you know, I would think that they try to plan a very safe race, and nothing is inherently, totally safe.”
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