8 Big Modern Formula 1 Crashes

6. Fernando Alonso €“ Brazil 2003

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih9Zi6Wo9nI Mark Webber, racing for Jaguar, dropped it in the wet conditions as he climbed onto the straight, hitting the barriers and coming to stop alongside the tail end of the pit wall. In his wake debris was across one of the fastest parts of the track, most particularly wheels. A safety car was declared, but failed to pick up the leaders before the final corner, which left drivers approaching the accident at top speed. Leading drivers Fisichella and Raikkonen picked their way through, but then-rookie Alonso piled into scene at full tilt, ploughing into one of Mark Webber€™s wheels laying on the track. He was flung into the tyre barrier at the end of the pit wall, and then catapulted back across the track into the outside barrier, covering the track with further debris. The race was immediately red flagged, and after an extended debate was not restarted as a limping Alonso was taken to hospital. It was handy that no restart was attempted, as Fisichella€™s Jordan-Ford caught fire in the pit lane following the initial red flag. Implications The ending of the race meant that, after some confusion and debate, and a post-race investigation, Fisichella was awarded the win, his first, and the last one for the team under the Jordan banner in their 200th Grand Prix. It also arguably affected the highly competitive championship that year. Had Raikkonen been awarded the win, he would have tied on points with Schumacher for the title. Whilst that alone would not have won him the title, with Schumacher having more race wins, it would undoubtedly have changed the approach to other races later in the year.
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Self-confessed Geek; Aerospace Engineer with a passion for Formula 1, Engineering, Science and Cinema.