Formula 1 is perhaps the most glamorous motorsport event on the planet today. Adorned with superior technology and fighter plane like aerodynamics, an F1 car is the symbol of speed and glamour that surrounds the sport. With cars travelling at 200mph and more, Fourmula1 is awe-inspiring. Just when the heady concoction of rock-star like drivers and their mean machines starts to suck you into its charm, a mishap occurs that jolts you off your seat. The very sport that captivated your attention now displays its frailties. And the drivers are the ones worst affected.Like gladiators, they mount their vehicles knowing all too well that a split second error could cost them a limb if not their very lives. 25-year-old Jules Bianchi was at the tragic receiving end of the haunting spectrum the sport offers. His crash was visibly innocuous. There have been more horrendous accidents through F1 history where drivers have walked away from their wreckages. Sadly, Bianchi wasn’t to be as fortunate as the others.In this context, here are five drivers that were involved in life-threatening crashes but were lucky enough to make it out alive.
#1 Robert Kubica
Trending
Leading up to the Canadian Grand Prix, Kubica was enjoying a fairly good season with BMW Sauber. However, midway through the Canadian Grand Prix, he was to receive a reality check. On lap 27, his car made contact with that of Jarno Trulli’s Toyota and veered onto to the grass. Moments later the Sauber was airborne after hitting a hump on the grass. With the nose of the car up, Kubica was at the mercy of things unfolding thereafter. His car crashed head-on into a wall and rolled across the track into the path of oncoming cars. The car would eventually come to a standstill after striking and rolling along the opposite wall. When Kubica’s car pommeled into the barrier, the car was clocked at 300 kmph.
Such was the impact of the crash that the Polish driver was found to have been subject to a maximum G-force of 75G. When his car came to a standstill on its side, the nose was completely shattered revealing his feet. Miraculously, Kubica suffered just a slight concussion and a sprained ankle. Recalling the incident later in a hospital, Kubica said that he remembered “nearly everything” and that he was very lucky to come away unscathed from a big accident.
After sitting out of the subsequent US Grand Prix, he returned to racing at the French Grand Prix and finished fourth.
#2 Mark Webber
An airborne car doing a somersault at high speeds is a common sight in a movie. But it certainly is anything but common on an F1 track. At the 2010 European Grand Prix at Valencia, things were routine until something unnatural occurred on the ninth lap. Travelling at 190mph and tailing Heikki Kovalainen, down the straight, Webber was looking to pass the Lotus driver going into a tight right-hander. Kovalainen appeared to break sharply and with under a second to react, the Aussie drove straight into the rear of the Lotus car. Such was the speed on impact that the nose of the Red Bull rose and the entire car did a back flip and landed upside down pinning Webber under the car. The car then skidded across the tarmac and crashed into the tyre laden side barriers.
While it seemed impossible for a driver to not be crushed under his car upon impact, Webber emerged unscathed from the mangled wreck of his car. While reflecting on the accident Webber admitted to being fortunate and said, “Obviously you get a bit concerned when that happens”. Weber would continue to race through the rest of the 2010 season and finished third in the driver’s championship.
#3 Felipe Massa
Drivers sustaining injuries in motorsport are most commonly attributed to car crashes caused by human error. Every now and then a freak event occurs that causes life threatening injuries. This was exactly what happened to Felipe Massa in the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. In the second round of qualifying and driving down a high-speed stretch, Massa seemed to miss a turn and ended up driving straight to the tyre barriers to everyone’s astonishment. Only later would replays confirm that he was left disoriented after something had visibly struck his helmet. Rubens Barrichello had been driving ahead of Massa and an FIA investigation later revealed that a rear suspension failure in Barrichello’s car caused a spring to come off and crash into Massa’s helmets as he followed at 162kmph.
Massa was airlifted and underwent an emergency surgery around his left eye. While his condition was initially labeled "life-threatening but stable", the Brazilian improved rapidly. However, he needed a titanium plate inserted into his skull to regain racing grade strength and stability. Massa would recover to resume his career in 2010 and started the season with a second place finish at Bahrain.
#4 Fernando Alonso
Pre-season testing in F1 is fairly routine and nothing really dramatic transpires barring updates of new car models. But the 2015 pre-season testing had a scare in store for Fernando Alonso. On day four of the winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya, the Spanish double world champion crashed into a wall at 150mph. He survived without injuries. However, when paramedics arrived and asked Alonso who he was and what he did for a living, he supposedly said, “My name is Fernando, I race karts, and I want to be a Formula One driver”. Turns out that Alonso woke up from the crash thinking it was 1995 and he was a 13-year-old. He didn’t remember his F1 debut or world championship wins.
Alonso would, however, label this a ‘fun’ story and denied that the purported retrograde amnesia event ever occurred. Despite doctors recommending that Alonso give up racing as a second blow could be fatal, the Spanish resumed racing at the Malaysian Grand Prix after sitting out the season opener at Australia.
#5 David Coulthard
In 14 years of F1 driving, the British driver failed to win a single World Champion title. Instead, he holds the dubious distinction of causing what is widely regarded as one of the biggest crashes in Formula1. The 1998 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps started under heavy rain. Mika Hakkinen was off the starting grid in a flash and led the pack that littered heavy spray onto those following behind. With minimal visibility, Coulthard lost control of his McLaren and slammed into the side barrier. His car then rebounded off the wall and rolled onto the track and directly into the path of oncoming cars. What ensued was total carnage. Cars ploughed into one another to send debris flying in every direction. Detached tyres from the cars bounced over the track and some even climbed as high as the adjoining stands.
In all, 13 cars were shattered in the chain-reaction crash. Despite the scale of the accident, Coulthard was unhurt. Likewise, the others involved walked away as well and drove on when the race resumed with a restart. Britain’s Damon Hill would eventually go on to win the race.
