adminOne of the most dramatic crashes in the history of Formula One stopped the Australian Grand Prix dead. But, miraculously, Fernando Alonso tottered out of the broken wreckage of his car. Pieces of carbon fibre were scattered like confetti across the Albert Park track. His McLaren was not a crumpled mess; it had almost vanished off the face of the earth. Just the cockpit remained defiantly separating the Spaniard from this place and the next life.
It occurred 18 laps into a race that unfolded entirely in a way that nobody would have predicted, even if it ended with a Mercedes one-two, Nico Rosberg finishing ahead of world champion Lewis Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel, of Ferrari, was third.
Alonso, trying to pass the Haas car of Esteban Gutierrez at 320 kilometres per hour, misjudged the move, his right front wheel catching the rear left of his prey.
He hit the Rolex sign on the left of the track going into turn three. His car did two full rotations across a gravel trap, the second more vertical than the flat first one, and ended up pinned against the tyre wall. His car resembled a swatted fly on a window.
We held our breath barely daring to believe that from this scene of mayhem a human life could emerge.
Gutierrez, whose car was significantly less damaged, waited anxiously like the rest of us. He and Alonso embraced each other. The Spaniard, moving a little gingerly at first, soon found a surer stride and waved to the crowds. The race was red-flagged for 20 minutes.
Among many other things, Alonso’s survival was a statement on the safety improvements in Formula One. Sir Jackie Stewart, the sport’s original and most determined safety exponent, was in the paddock here.
Alonso could well have raised a glass in the Scotsman’s direction, as well as to the memory of Professor Sid Watkins, who attended to the dying Ayrton Senna at Imola and oversaw a revolution in driver protection during Max Mosley’s presidency of the FIA.— Sportsmail.
Online Reporter