This has been a year of tragedies and calamities, and we don’t even need to include the entire world in this conversation. In the world of Formula 1 alone, we have faced tragedy in the form of a natural disaster during the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the start of the season. Secondly, and perhaps a little forgotten, was the scheduled Chinese Grand Prix which is still suffering from the impact of the coronavirus. We might face another cancellation thanks to yet another natural calamity as the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix comes under threat after Hurricane Otis wreaked havoc.

Late Wednesday night, one of the strongest storms ever, hit Mexico’s Pacific Coast, specifically the beach resort town of Acapulco. The Category 5 storm smashed buildings and even caused damage to vital infrastructure, leaving the resort town incommunicado and without power.

Furthermore, there is no way in and out of Acapulco as the city of nearly 900,000 cannot access the roads and the airport. The transport minister issued this update as debris all across the town blocked the road. Damage to the control tower and loss of power has rendered the airport inoperative. There are no official reports of fatalities yet. However, the power outage and communication restrictions have made it difficult to assess the situation.

Talking about Otis, the city was bracing itself for a tropical storm. However, Otis unexpectedly strengthened to a Category 5 storm after reaching the shore barreling down with winds reaching 165 miles per hour, the strongest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Read More: F1 Mexican GP 2023 Schedule – When and Where to Watch the Race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

However, after wreaking havoc in Acapulco while moving inland toward the mountains of southern Mexico, Otis became a Category 4 storm before reducing to a tropical storm and dissipating. However, its initial form left the entire town and its guests in trauma.

Hurricane Otis aftermath and how it might affect the Mexican Grand Prix

Just like the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the 2023 event on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez might suffer the same fate. The most devastating Hurricane in the past eight years since Hurricane Patricia might put the Mexican GP under threat because of its aftereffects.

Thanks to the unexpected storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned of heavy rains in southwestern and south-central Mexico through Thursday. The trickle-down effect of these heavy rains might be lethal flooding and mudslides throughout the affected areas. Lethal flooding canceling a Grand Prix, ring a bell?

In fact, authorities have claimed the storm will bring excess rain which will cause mudslides, a “potentially catastrophic” storm surge, and life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

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Let’s pray for the safety of the people affected by the storm and let’s hope things return to normal as soon as possible. We are sure all F1 drivers will raise awareness, which will help in raising funds to counter this disaster.