Italian police impound crashed cars at Monza

First reports say a magistrate who will run investigations into the incident arrived at the circuit on Sunday evening to start his inquiries.

Eye-witnesses said the marshal, 30-year-old Paolo Ghislimberti from Trento, was hit by a flying wheel. He died after receiving severe head and chest injuries and the sport's governing body, the FIA, has already ordered its own investigations.

The accident was triggered when Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Rubens Barrichello collided, collecting Jarno Trulli and David Coulthard. Pedro de la Rosa could not brake in time and was launched into a lurid series of rolls. Wheels and debris from the five cars filled the air.

After Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger were killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, their cars were impounded for several years.

Under the law in many European countries, deaths at sporting events are usually considered as either accidental deaths or through misadventure, but in Italy they are treated as manslaughter [unintentional murder] and the teams investigated for their involvement.

Jordan has cancelled a planned test this week at Mugello because the police are now holding two of their cars.

A team spokeswoman said Jordan's participation in the American Grand Prix would not be affected because they had other chassis at the team's base in England.

McLaren and Ferrari were also due to be at the test, but it is not known if they have changed their plans.

It is not known if officials have also impounded Johnny Herbert's Jaguar, which was involved in the accident but hobbled back to the pits on three wheels.