F1 Italian GP facing mid-race interruption

F1 fans in the UK can expect some disruption to their usual viewing of a grand prix Sunday.

At 3pm BST, phones across the UK will violently vibrate and make a loud siren sound for around 10 seconds even if set to silent, as the UK Government tests out its emergency alert system.

With the Italian GP at Monza getting underway at 2pm BST, it means that fans may well be distracted away from the on-track action.

The emergency alerts system should not affect Sky Sports' coverage of the race, however, with commentators David Croft and Martin Brundle's phones unlikely to go off given that they are not currently in the UK.

The government's new work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, has warned UK residents to 'keep their cool' when the alarm system sounds, citing the fact that it is just a 'drill', meaning fans should stay calm even when their F1 viewing is affected.

What is the UK Government's emergency alert system?

At 3pm today, phones across the UK will flash with emergency notifications, and while today's test is just a drill, it's to make sure that the system is working for national emergencies.

The alerts would usually be sent out in situations in which there is an imminent danger to life, such as extreme weather events or during a terror attack.

While some major events would need alerts sent out nationally, it can be deployed regionally too, as has been the case on five occasions in the last five years.

Earlier this year, around 4.5 million phones in Scotland and Northern Ireland were sent an alert during Storm Eowyn, while in December 2024, around 3.5 million were sent alerts in England and Wales during Storm Darragh.

The emergency alert system has been tested before on a nationwide scale, and that test uncovered some technical flaws in the system, with the UK Government hoping to have ironed those out since that last test in 2023.

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