The day Mark Webber miraculously survived the 2010 European Grand Prix

The Australian driver, who was leading the championship at the time of the accident, was inexplicably unhurt after spinning through the air and flying several metres.

Mark Webber, one of Red Bull’s drivers in the 2010 season, suffered one of the most incredible accidents in Formula 1 history. At the European Grand Prix, held at the Valencia Street Circuit, the Australian crashed into the back of Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus and took off. In the air, it made a complete turn and for a moment the nose of the vehicle was facing the sky. To the inexplicable and shocked surprise of all the spectators, he got out of his car.

After starting on the front row with his teammate Sebastian Vettel, Webber lost positions until he dropped to ninth position on the first lap. It was an atypical race for a championship leader and winner of two races, because in addition to his bad start, two laps before the accident he had to stop to change his tires.

In the crash, the front wing and the anti-roll bar separated from the rest of the car and remained on the track, while the Red Bull, without two front wheels, flew until it hit the containment barrier that had formed of wheels. Former driver David CoulthardRed Bull’s advisor, said: “The race just saw one of its luckiest days. This could be a very, very bad event.“In addition, Kovalainen, the other person involved in the scene, stated:”I was defending myself and I think he rushed at me

It should be considered that the single-seater of Now they have a halo, the safety element that current Formula 1 cars present and that has on more than one occasion saved the lives of several drivers. in recent times, as with Guanyu Zhou in 2023 at Silverstone or Romain Grosjean at Bahrain 2020. In 2010, cars did not have this avoidance tool, so Webber was very lucky, because his head could have been violently hit the track after his car flew and could have ended up in an accident with greater consequences.

In 2016, after suffering several very reckless accidents during his career, Webber announced his retirement.. In 2014, at the 6 Hours of San Pablo, he had another shocking crash with his Porsche. “The accident in Brazil was terrible for Ann, my wife, it was really hard for her.“said the Australian.”I was very lucky, the impact was huge and the recovery time, the longest I’ve ever experienced after an accident, but at least it helped me learn” he added.

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The halo (black) protects pilots from hitting their heads in the event of an accident.

Source: Tycsports

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