WATCH: When Red Bull’s Mark Webber went airborne in a horrific crash at the 2010 European GP

Mark Webber had a massive crash during the 2010 European GP.

WATCH: When Red Bull’s Mark Webber went airborne in a horrific crash at the 2010 European GP

Mark Webber goes airborne after colliding with Heikki Kovalainen at the 2010 European GP (image via Senatus)

The European GP was the ninth round of the 2010 F1 calendar. Red Bull were trailing the two McLaren drivers in the championship standings. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were looking to make some major progress in Valencia. However, the Australian driver suffered from a horrendous crash in the race.

Webber started the race from the front row behind pole-sitter Vettel. However, the Australian driver was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton at the start. Moreover, Mark Webber made contact with Jenson Button‘s McLaren which forced him down to ninth after just the first lap of the race. Red Bull brought him into the pits for an early stop on Lap 7.

Webber rejoined in 18th place and tried to overtake Heikki Kovalainen on Lap 9. The Australian driver was slipstreaming the Lotus at over 190mph or 300kmph. However, Kovalainen seemed to have braked earlier than Mark Webber anticipated. This led to the Red Bull driving into the right-rear tire of the Lotus car, sending the Red Bull airborne.

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Mark Webber’s RB6 flipped in the air and landed upside down near Turn 12. The nose and front tires were completely damaged. The car then went straight into the barriers at a high speed. Webber had a heavy impact on the wall. Thankfully, the Australian driver was unharmed. On the other hand, Kovalainen’s car had lost its its front nose and the rear end.

Mark Webber’s teammate Sebastian Vettel went on to win the race

After this horrific crash, the safety car was deployed instantly. This allowed race leader Sebastian Vettel to make a pitstop without losing his advantage over the rest of the field. Although, the German driver faced stiff competition from Lewis Hamilton throughout the Grand Prix. Ultimately, Vettel increased his lead by the end of the race as Hamilton struggled to pass lapped cars.

Sebastian Vettel, 2010 European GP
Sebastian Vettel, 2010 European GP (image via The Lowdown)

Sebastian Vettel came home to win the 2010 European GP and jumped Mark Webber in the standings. Webber would have a strong comeback in the next round of the season at Silverstone. As the Australian driver would take a win for the Austrian team.

Although, by this point, tensions would skyrocket between Webber and Red Bull. With Mark Webber claiming that he was being treated as a number two driver at Milton Keynes. Nevertheless, he would stay with the team till the end of his F1 career in 2013 while Vettel won four back-to-back titles.

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