The Formula 2 feature race had to be brought to a halt after an 11-car pile-up forced a red flag just hours before Sunday's Grand Prix.

With F2 getting underway on Sunday morning, a collision between Alex Dunne and Victor Martins on the first turn quickly caused chaos.

After getting off to a poor start from pole, McLaren's Dunne surrendered the racing line to Martins heading into Sainte Devote.

The Irishman's front end then collided with the side of Martins' car with the pair sent into the barriers in the famously narrow streets of the principality.

With little room to maneuver the incident quickly led to a pile-up, with a chain collision causing carnage.

Meanwhile Dutch driver Richard Verschoor was forced to retire after suffering severe damage to his front wheel having being unable to avoid joining the mayhem.

No fewer than 11 drivers ultimately found themselves on the list of retirements, with red flags waved to suspend the race.

While the location of the crash ultimately prevented any of the drivers from suffering injuries in the wreckage, those involved were quick to assign blame in the immediate aftermath.

Speaking following the incident a furious Martins was captured on the TV broadcast asking his pit crew of Dunne's aggressive start: 'Who does he think he is, Max Verstappen?'

Escaping unscathed from the chaos, Italian Leonardo Fornaroli will lead a reduced field when the event gets back underway following efforts by stewards to remove an accumulation of debris from the Monte-Carlo circuit.