Carlos Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix just two weeks, sixteen days to be precise, after undergoing surgery, which is of course astonishing by any standards. But there have been other instances in Formula 1 history where drivers have successfully returned to action after recovering from certain health issues.
Journalists from Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport recalled six more similar examples, all involving world champions.
Graham Hill
On October 5, 1969, Graham Hill (father of Damon Hill), already a two-time world champion, was involved in an accident during the United States Grand Prix, held at Watkins Glen Speedway in New York State. The incident occurred on the 90th lap of the race when the rear tire of the championship number 1 Lotus blew out and Hill suffered a broken right knee, a dislocated left knee and multiple ligament injuries.
By the way, the sense of humor for which he was famous did not betray him even in this situation: when he was already in the hospital, he was asked what to tell his wife? And then Hill said the famous line: “Just tell her I can’t dance for two weeks.”
After a long period of recovery and missing the season finale, he went to the start of the first stage of the 1970 championship – it was the Grand Prix of South Africa in Kyalami. He did not qualify in the best way and only showed the 19th fastest time, but in the race he made a great break into the top six. At the time, points were awarded to the top six riders and Graham Hill just finished sixth.
However, after that story he never won any more races and didn’t even reach the podium.
Niki Lauda
Perhaps the most dramatic episode in Niki Lauda’s career was his accident at the Nürburgring Nordschleife during the 1976 German Grand Prix. The Austrian’s Ferrari crashed into the barriers and caught fire, but through the efforts of several drivers, including Arturo Merzario, he was pulled from the cockpit, but Lauda suffered very serious burns and became intoxicated by combustion products.
But he not only survived, but 40 days after the terrible accident he returned to the wheel, although his injuries were felt for a long time. At the Italian Grand Prix Niki Lauda took 4th place and less than a month later he was on the podium at the American circuit of Watkins Glen.
Gerard Berger
On April 23, 1989, Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari crashed off the track in Imola at the Tamburello corner on lap 4 of the San Marino Grand Prix due to a technical problem at a speed of less than 290 km/h. The car caught fire and everything could have ended in tragedy, but fortunately within 16 seconds three firefighters arrived at the car with fire extinguishers. History has preserved the names of these people: they were Bruno Miniati, Paolo Verdi and Gabriele Violi.
After another 10 seconds, the flame was extinguished, after which the rider was taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with minor burns and a broken rib.
He missed the next stage of the season, held in Monaco, but returned behind the wheel in Mexico 35 days after the accident. That season, but later in the autumn, Berger reached the podium three times and won the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Mika Hakkinen
Mika Hakkinen’s career could have been interrupted after an accident during qualifying in Adelaide – in November 1995 the Australian Grand Prix was last held at this city circuit, where the season finale took place.
Due to a puncture in the McLaren tire, the Finn crashed into the barriers, and the diagnosis of Australian doctors was very serious: a fracture of the skull and cheekbones, as well as damage to the right ear. For two days Mika was in a coma, but after that his affairs started to improve.
On March 10 the following year he took part in the Australian Grand Prix, already held in Melbourne, and took 5th place in that race. In 1998, Häkkinen became world champion for the first time and a year later he won his second title.
Michael Schumacher
On July 11, 1999, Michael Schumacher was injured on the first lap of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone due to problems with the brakes of his Ferrari. The car crashed into the safety barriers at Stowe corner at full speed, ending with broken bones in his right leg.
But in mid-October, Schumacher returned to the wheel in Malaysia, on the penultimate stage of the season, won qualifying, almost a second ahead of his teammate, Eddie Irvine, and finished second the next day, and only because he let the Irishman taking the lead as he retained his championship chances.
Felipe Massa
The most difficult episode in Felipe Massa’s career took place in 2009 during the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Brazilian was driving for Ferrari at the time and in a completely ridiculous and extremely unfortunate coincidence during qualifying he suffered a serious head injury. A spring weighing about 800 grams fell from an approximately 800 gram spring of the Brawn GP team car in front of him, driven by Rubens Barrichello, Felipe’s compatriot and friend, and hit Massa’s helmet.
The helmet fulfilled its protective function, but the impact was severe and doctors diagnosed damage to the skull bones and a severe concussion. Fortunately, the recovery was quite successful, and at the first round of the 2010 season, held in Bahrain, Massa showed the second result in qualifying and took 2nd place in the race, losing only to Fernando Alonso, his then Ferrari -teammate.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
