The Australian got up close to the wet kerbing on the inside of Turn 3, coming out of the Senna S, and lost the rear and impacted back first into the wall in a heavy crash that prompted his DNF.

Piastri went into the 100 km race chasing title rival and teammate Lando Norris by 1 point. With the British driver leading the field, the gap could increase to 9 points overall, should Norris hold his position until the chequered flag.

Franco Colapinto also suffered an accident, forcing him to retire after a violent spin. Nico Hülkenberg faced the same fate, hitting the barrier, but he managed to bring his car back to the pits.

Race control has deployed a red flag to clear the numerous debris scattered across the track. The race is set be resumed in just under 10 minutes.