The Formula One safety car went flying off the track and slammed into the barriers in unusual scenes ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

The vehicle was travelling around the iconic Parabolica corner at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza ahead of this weekend's race.

It was said to be doing test laps around the track when the driver failed to properly judge the right-handed corner before heading straight into the barriers and getting wedged underneath the railing.

It's reported that there were no injuries to either the driver, Bernd Maylander, or the passenger.

There are no F1 cars on track on Thursday ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, which officially gets underway with practice on Friday morning.

There's already been plenty of shake-up in the paddock this week though, with Logan Sargeant having been axed from the Williams roster mid-season.

Instead, Franco Colapinto will be behind the wheel for the remainder of the season, starting this weekend in Monza.

Williams had already planned to take Sargeant out of the cockpit next season, but the American's crash during practice at the Dutch GP appears to have forced their hand early.

Sargeant is pointless so far this season and has scored just one point in each of his previous 36 races.

For comparison, Alex Albon, the other Williams driver, has tallied 36 points in that time.

Speaking after the driver change was confirmed, Colapinto said: "It is an honour to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams - this is what dreams are made of.

Williams themselves reacted to the news by saying: "We’d like to thank Logan for everything he has done the past two seasons. He will remain a member of the Williams family and we will be supporting him to continue his racing career."

Racing resumes at Monza with Max Verstappen top of the standings, 70 points clear of second-placed Lando Norris.

Norris kept his cool and won from pole position in Zandvoort last weekend - his first victory since Miami earlier in the year.

Practice begins Friday with the Grand Prix itself at 2pm BST on Sunday afternoon.