The FIA is under fire from motorsport fans after a potentially dangerous incident at the start of the Porsche Carrera Cup in Miami.
The Porsche Carrera Cup North America, now in its third season, saw drivers take to the track around Miami in between Grand Prix events at the Miami International Autodrome for round three of the championship.
The event marked the first time that the Porsche Carrera Cup North America has raced alongside Formula, with 40 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars entered in the 40 minute races.
Riley Dickinson returned to the top flight of the podium in Miami, winning both races around the circuit, holding off Tom Sargant in Race 1 and Will Martin in Race 2.
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Unfortunately for the drivers, the incident was overshadowed by a scary moment as the Porsche drivers had to take evasive action to avoid a tow truck carrying Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari back to the pit lane.
Leclerc had caused a red flag after ploughing his car into the barriers during FP2 in Miami, repeating the mistake at the exact same turn during qualifying.
Leclerc spun off at Turn 7, slamming into the barriers and damaging the front of his car on the Friday, while the Saturday incident saw him smash the rear of the vehicle.
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With stewards under significant time pressure to allow the Porsche race to get underway before sunset, officials allowed the drivers on track for their Friday event despite the tow truck having failed to clear the circuit.
The moment will surely put the FIA under increased scrutiny over its approach to on track safety after a series of incidents in recent years related to the recovery of stricken vehicles.
At the Japanese Grand Prix last season, with torrential rain hurting visibility, the FIA deployed a crane on track to recover a damaged vehicle while drivers were still moving at speed around the circuit.