5 worst crashes ever in F1 Australian GP
Know all about the horrendous crashes of the Australian GP with the help of this article.
Australian GP
The Australian GP has a special place in the history books of F1. The event, since its inception in 1986, has always lived up to expectations. While the event until 1995 took place in Adelaide, it was shifted a year later to the gorgeous Albert Park F1 Circuit that’s situated in the bustling city of Melbourne. Since 1996, Albert Park has had the honor of hosting all events of the pinnacle of motor racing.
While the event in its rich history has produced some magnificent moments, it has also witnessed some of the most horrific crashes in the history of F1. Albert Park, over the years, has seen crashes that are sure to send literal chills down the spine of the ardent F1 followers. Let’s delve into some of the scariest crashes that have occurred at the Australian GP.
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List of the top 5 worst crashes at the Australian GP
5. Fernando Alonso’s horrific crash at the 2016 Australian GP
The Australian GP of 2016 is remembered for various reasons, but one that stands out is, the former 2-time F1 World Champion, Fernando Alonso‘s high-speed crash. During the event, Alonso was driving for Honda and was locked in an extremely tight battle with Esteban Gutiérrez, who was driving for the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team. The two were scraping away for the lower points position in the race, and Gutierrez was doing a good job of holding off the Spaniard.
However, everything went haywire when Fernando Alonso nicked the left rear of Esteban Gutierrez’s Ferrari and, in majestic fashion, went flying into the air. The incident took place at Turn 3 when Alonso was coming in hot behind his rival at the speed of around 300 km/h. Moreover, after the contact, Alonso’s car rolled multiple times before coming to a halt. It is believed that he suffered around 46 G’s during the crash.
4. Martin Brundle’s crash at the 1996 Australian GP
Martin Brundle is well-known as a pundit in the world of F1. However, not many are aware that during his young days, he used to make his trade as an F1 driver. In 1996, Brundle was in his final season as an F1 driver, and he would never have, in his wildest imagination, thought about what happened during the event. The Brit was involved in a huge crash.
In 1996, Albert Park was hosting its very first Australian GP, and despite the hype, the race was brought to an abrupt halt on lap 1 of the race. Going into Turn 3, Jean Alesi cut in front of Mika Hakkinen and Rubens Barrichello and caused the duo to go off the racing line and brake heavily. This triggered a series of chain reactions from the cars running behind them. Jonny Herbert, who was running ahead of Brundle, swerved because of what happened ahead of him, and Brundle was left with no option but to crash into the back of the Sauber car that Herbert was running in. Moreover, Brundle went flying into the air, and his car ended up in the sand trap that was lying adjacent to the track.
3. Nigel Mansell’s tire exploded at the 1986 Australian GP
As per sources, the Australian GP of 1986 was the last round of that year’s F1 calendar, which took place at the Adelaide circuit. While it was the final round of the season, the hype around the event was huge as Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, and, Alain Prost all had the chance of waking away with the F1 World Championship. In Mansell’s case, he had to finish at least third to secure the Championship.
While Nigel Mansell was very adept at doing the same, on lap 64, things went south for the British driver. His car’s left rear tire exploded and caused Mansell to crash and come away with an unfortunate DNF. He was on his way to securing the 1986 Championship, but it just wasn’t to be for the prolific driver.
2. Nelson Piquet’s crash at the 1991 Australian GP and the Shortest race in the history of F1
Next up on the list is the Australian GP of 1991, which occurred in Adelaide. The event holds a place in the history of the Australian GP for all the wrong reasons. As the race went underway, it could only last for a ridiculously short period of just 24 minutes. During the event, the circuit was soaking wet because of torrential rain. Moreover, as the lights went out, Nelson Piquet spun in his last race before his retirement and caused one of the scariest crashes in the history of F1.
The crash occurred right at the heart of the main straight of the Circuit, and the sight was so bad, that F1 legend, Ayrton Senna even waved aggressively at the race officials to stop the event. Eventually, on lap 16, the officials ended the race, making it the shortest F1 Grand Prix in the sport’s history.
1. Ralf Schumacher’s huge crash at the 2002 Australian GP
While the above two crashes took place at the Adelaide circuit, the most horrifying crash in the history of the Australian GP took place at the Albert Park F1 Circuit in Melbourne. For the Australian GP of 2002, Ralf Schumacher was slated to start the race in P3 behind his brother, Michael Schumacher, and, Rubens Barrichello, who proved to be the fastest in qualifying.
As the race got underway, Ralf got off to the best start among the top 3 and was immediately able to overtake his brother, however, seeing Ralf coming in hot, Barichello weaved on the straights and caused a huge crash. After colliding with Barichello’s car, Ralf went flying into the air and had to go through a horrible accident. The incident was so intense that a total of 8 cars were forced to retire from the race.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)