Worst F1 Crash

[DazzlaF1]

Hi, im new-ish here (not posted for a while.) I may be 22 but i've always been interested in the history of F1, there's plenty of great video's nowadays on the net (Youtube) showing just how F1 used to be in the good old days.

But a lot of people on Youtube only seem interested in watching videos of crashes and fatal accidents and some i found on there were horrible (Tom Pryce's accident in 77 is just about the worst i have seen.)

So im wondering what do you think is the worst accident you've seen in F1 racing?

[D-Type]

Has it not dawned on you that drivers are real people with relatives?

[IMSAFAN1]

who really cares about the worst..everyone is the worst. A driver is no different than you and I. See that's the mentality of alot of people. All they want to see is accidents not the poetry of a driver taking a car beyond it's limit and still keeping control. That my friend is what driving is all about. Sit down and watch LeMans and see Steve McQueen's face when asked about that very subject.

[DazzlaF1]

Look, im not one of these people that likes to see crashes, im just making reference to some idiots on Youtube that love that sort of stuff.

I for one enjoy looking through videos on there to watch drivers like Senna, Mansell, Prost and many others at work participating in exciting racing.

[ArrowsFA1]

I get the opportunity to ask Riccardo Patrese questions about many aspects of his career, and crashes are a subject that people want to ask him about regularly. I must say I don't like asking them because 1) they're not exactly the kind of experiences a driver cares to remember and 2) it gives the impression there are many people out there who only watch motorsport to see accidents.

Never having been one of those fans I don't really understand the fascination. I enjoy watching drivers controlling the cars they drive, and the skill that takes, not them losing control for whatever reason.

That said, accidents do happen and are a part of the sport.

[Simpson RX1]

I get the opportunity to ask Riccardo Patrese questions about many aspects of his career, and crashes are a subject that people want to ask him about regularly. I must say I don't like asking them because 1) they're not exactly the kind of experiences a driver cares to remember and 2) it gives the impression there are many people out there who only watch motorsport to see accidents.

Never having been one of those fans I don't really understand the fascination. I enjoy watching drivers controlling the cars they drive, and the skill that takes, not them losing control for whatever reason.

That said, accidents do happen and are a part of the sport.


I don't think that many people watch motorsport just for the crashes, but it does add to the anticipation and excitement, which is part of our basic desire to take risks and lead an exciting life; most people can't have that level of excitement, so they live it vicariously through watching others that do, you only have to look at the sales of crash videos and the enormous viewing figures for the first episode of the latest season of Top Gear to see that the great unwashed enjoy a good prang. Even as a driver, although I don't want to see anyone get seriously hurt or killed, a good smash adds to the fun, and, as you say, it's part of what we do.

In answer to the OP, Tom Pryce's accident was shocking, and robbed us of a huge potential talent, but was a simple case of bad luck.

The worst accidents I have seen would have to be a toss up between the Dutch GP, Zandvoort 1973, and Riccardo Palletti in the Canadian GP in 1982.

The first was an unspectacular accident in content, but watching David Purley trying in vain to rescue his good friend, and future star, Roger Williamson from a blazing inferno (while Roger was conscious and screaming out for help) whilst the fire marshalls (not in fire retardent clothing) rushed around like the Keystone Cops, is one of the darkest days in F1.

The second involved an unsighted Palletti slamming into a stalled car at the start (Didier Pironi's Ferrari?) and the race was stopped immediately; the medical team arrived in seconds, and determined that Riccardo, whilst badly injured, was still alive. Trouble was, within a few moments, something ignited the leaking full fuel tanks, and those of us watching the live TV coverage witnessed another man burn to death in front of us.

If you really want to find it, footage of these accidents exists on youtube and many other places, but don't come back here and thank me for pointing you to it; look at it by all means, but just be minded of the risks race drivers put themselves at for your entertainment.

[eloyf1]

There is a Tribute to Dead F1 Drivers on Youtube, but the worst, I think it was the Donnelly's one... Anyway, I can't bear crashes (Everytime I see Senna's death, I cry...), so I won't give you the links... It's easy to find them...

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I've just thought how lucky we were not to have a death 2005. When Kimi's front suspension broke at the Nurbergring, he nearly T-boned the car in front of him at the hairpin. (I think it was a BAR) It could have been an horrific accident. The side impacts are the worst/deadliest.

I think that the average viewer likes crashes. I remember at High school, I asked friends if they watched the F1. They used to reply. 'no it's boring! no-one ever crashes anymore!' And why do the TV stations always show crashes when they are advertising F1?

[ShiftingGears]

Like it or not it ads to the excitement, and its part of the racing.

[BeansBeansBeans]

I don't count myself as the sort of fan who likes to witness crashes, but like it or not, the risk of serious incidents plays a huge part in our sport. The reason we stand in awe of racing drivers, is that they compete in a sport in which the thread of death or serious injury is always round the corner. If Grand Prix Racing ever became 100% free of danger, then drivers would no longer be able to display their super-human bravery, and we would no longer hold them in such awe.

[Tazio]

Not nearly the worst! But JT crash in the renault at silverstone was pretty impressive, considering he walked away from it!

[mwr120675]

I don't think that many people watch motorsport just for the crashes, but it does add to the anticipation and excitement, which is part of our basic desire to take risks and lead an exciting life; most people can't have that level of excitement, so they live it vicariously through watching others that do, you only have to look at the sales of crash videos and the enormous viewing figures for the first episode of the latest season of Top Gear to see that the great unwashed enjoy a good prang. Even as a driver, although I don't want to see anyone get seriously hurt or killed, a good smash adds to the fun, and, as you say, it's part of what we do.

In answer to the OP, Tom Pryce's accident was shocking, and robbed us of a huge potential talent, but was a simple case of bad luck.

The worst accidents I have seen would have to be a toss up between the Dutch GP, Zandvoort 1973, and Riccardo Palletti in the Canadian GP in 1982.

The first was an unspectacular accident in content, but watching David Purley trying in vain to rescue his good friend, and future star, Roger Williamson from a blazing inferno (while Roger was conscious and screaming out for help) whilst the fire marshalls (not in fire retardent clothing) rushed around like the Keystone Cops, is one of the darkest days in F1.

The second involved an unsighted Palletti slamming into a stalled car at the start (Didier Pironi's Ferrari?) and the race was stopped immediately; the medical team arrived in seconds, and determined that Riccardo, whilst badly injured, was still alive. Trouble was, within a few moments, something ignited the leaking full fuel tanks, and those of us watching the live TV coverage witnessed another man burn to death in front of us.

If you really want to find it, footage of these accidents exists on youtube and many other places, but don't come back here and thank me for pointing you to it; look at it by all means, but just be minded of the risks race drivers put themselves at for your entertainment.

Paletti did not die from the fire but from chest injuries. In fact he did not have any burns.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Paletti

[Placid]

As far as the worse crashes I can only think of are:

3 - Ron Peterson - Monza 1978 / Race

2 - Roland Ratzenberger - Imola 1994 / Qualifying

1 - Gilles Villeneuve - Zolder 1982 / Race (Car ripped in half tossing Gilles from the car)

[D-Type]

Surely accidents where spectators are involved must be worse. The drivers know the risks and have some measure of control over the situation; the spectators are unable to influence what happens.

Monza 1961 with 15 spectators killed must be the worst? But this may be eclipsed by the early Argentine GP. And if you come outside the F1 frame there is Le Mans 1955 with a toll of 81 and the 1957 Mille Miglia where several spectators (10?) including children were killed. Are figures available for the Carrera PanAmericana?

But let's face it: some accidents may be less horrific than others but the consequence is the same: parents have lost a son, wives have lost a husband, children have lost a father, fans have lost a hero...

[BDunnell]

The worst accidents I have seen would have to be a toss up between the Dutch GP, Zandvoort 1973, and Riccardo Palletti in the Canadian GP in 1982.

The first was an unspectacular accident in content, but watching David Purley trying in vain to rescue his good friend, and future star, Roger Williamson...

I know it's a bit late to make a comment on this, but seeing as this thread has been resurrected, I ought to point out that it's been said that Purley didn't know Williamson that well.

Good post above, D-Type, as ever.

[ArrowsFA1]

Two of the worst accidents in Riccardo Patrese's career were witnessed by very few. The first was during practice for the 1982 Nurburgring 1000kms when his Lancia took off over a jump and he "had a horrifying, cartwheeling accident which knocked him out and from which he was lucky to survive".

The second was during testing with Williams at Imola when he went off at the Tamburello corner and again escaped serious injury.

[wmcot]

It sad that there are many motorsport fans who watch for the crashes. I guess we all have the same curiosity factor that makes us slow down and look at a traffic accident on the freeway. Which race footage makes the nightly news? Here in the US, F1 rarely makes it to the local news, but one of our local stations is using a bit of Kubica's crash in Canada as part of its opening credits for the sport's segment.

If you enjoy crashes, stick to NASCAR. You are sure to see several in any given race.

Crashes are personal, especially when a fatality is involved. The video of Tom Pryce's accident was sickening to watch. I deleted it immediately after watching, but I can't delete it from my mind.

Perhaps it would be better to focus on those that the driver walked away from like Mark Webber at LeMans in 1999.

[futuretiger9]

In terms of sheer senselessness, you would have to say the accidents involving Roger Williamson and Tom Pryce, both of which are of course extremely well-documented.

Other bad ones are those to Francois Cevert, Lorenzo Bandini, Piers Courage and Jo Schlesser.

[F1nostalgic]

In terms of sheer senselessness, you would have to say the accidents involving Roger Williamson and Tom Pryce, both of which are of course extremely well-documented.

Yes I agree about this. I just saw clips on Youtube about it and I see that they were quite nasty. :eek: :)

[rabf1]

The Tom Pryce accident was horrific but also bizarre. A marshall ran across the street and Pryce hit him at about 180 mph. Its hard to imagine what was left of the marshall but his stupidity cost Pryce because his fire extinguisher hit Pryce in the head and supposedly decapitated him.

[V12]

Williamson and Pryce's accidents always come up when this topic is discussed, but for me Williamson's was by far the worst. Yes Pryce's accident was equally needless and avoidable, and unimaginably horrific for anyone unfortunate enough to witness it and its aftermath, but at least it is pretty safe to assume that Tom (and the marshal) were killed pretty much instantly and would have had no knowledge of it, contrasting with Williamson who was apparently virtually uninjured by the initial crash, but trapped inside his upturned burning car for god knows how long...

[Mp3 Astra]

Crashes are personal, especially when a fatality is involved. The video of Tom Pryce's accident was sickening to watch. I deleted it immediately after watching, but I can't delete it from my mind.

My brother, who is autistic, doesn't understand the significance of this kind of incident. One day last year I walked in on him watching a compilation of horrific crashes on Youtube. Unfortunately I walked in at the point where the crash you have described, and I have never been able to erase it since. And yet my brother didn't seem remotely phased, so I closed the browser and gave him a lecture.

What worries me about the way the media portrays motorsport is when they show accidents in the opening titles, to attract attention. The media should grant the public some intelligence; we're perfectly capable of watching sport without some disaster happening. If they'd just stop trying to make us think that we want crashes, we'd stop wanting crashes and motorsport will gain some more respect from the general public.

But I digress... but it makes me mad.

[wmcot]

My brother, who is autistic, doesn't understand the significance of this kind of incident. One day last year I walked in on him watching a compilation of horrific crashes on Youtube. Unfortunately I walked in at the point where the crash you have described, and I have never been able to erase it since. And yet my brother didn't seem remotely phased, so I closed the browser and gave him a lecture.

What worries me about the way the media portrays motorsport is when they show accidents in the opening titles, to attract attention. The media should grant the public some intelligence; we're perfectly capable of watching sport without some disaster happening. If they'd just stop trying to make us think that we want crashes, we'd stop wanting crashes and motorsport will gain some more respect from the general public.

But I digress... but it makes me mad.

But for the media, sex and gore are big money makers... :(

[SGWilko]

See the link below....
Button in F1 accident.
http://www.orangepeels.nildram.co.uk/junk/images/F1_accident.jpg

[keysersoze]

Not an F1 accident, but still photos of Zanardi's accident in Germany clearly show the flesh of his legs being scattered. Just jaw dropping awful.

Seeing Gilles' body cartwheel was pretty sickening.

I read that Cevert was decapitated by his car submarining the guardrailing at Watkins Glen. That must have been just devastating for the course workers.

[Big Ben]

In the end they are all tragic and it really doesn´t matter how they died...

[fredman]

The only part of crashes I 'like' to see is how the equipment holds up, what could be done to make it better, etc.

As far as the crashes themselves go, ones like Roger Williamson's one make me absolutely SICK to watch because with a proper safety crew, it could -and should - have been avoided. He didn't need to burn to death, upside down in a car, when MANY people were nearby.

But then, you see a crash such as Gilles, and Senna's, and there is nothing you can do. And such on the Indy circuit like Gordon Smiley's. Aweful.
Any loss of life is aweful, especially if it is preventable.


***********************************************

And as far as the mass media in the USA goes, yes, they are totally clueless.

I remember watching the nightly news, when Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix.... what does the USA media say ?
'The first African-American to win a Grand Prix....'
That about says it all.

[markabilly]

Is this discussion really necesary? Having been involved with racing since very early sixties, and met some of the drivers who have died, there seems to be too much interest in this type of stuff as it is.

If someone wants to know, there are plenty of other places to look on the web for gore.

This type of discussion as to who was killed in the worst f1 crashes as though it was some contest, has no place on this website, and this thread should be closed and deleted.

And before certain posters correctly point out that their participation is not of such a nature, I agree, (and I kept thinking of Williamson when the crash of RS at Indy occurred where he was laft to just sit there while the so-called safety car wandered around the enire course) but some of the other stuff falls far short.

[ShiftingGears]

Not an F1 accident, but still photos of Zanardi's accident in Germany clearly show the flesh of his legs being scattered. Just jaw dropping awful.

Seeing Gilles' body cartwheel was pretty sickening.

I read that Cevert was decapitated by his car submarining the guardrailing at Watkins Glen. That must have been just devastating for the course workers.

Also, Jochen Rindt's lap belt slit his throat when the car went under a barrier, and Chris Bristow was decapitated on a fence in Belgium 1960. Yikes.

One of the main things about Jackie Stewarts safety crusade was that it removed many challenging drivers circuits from the calendar (eg Spa, Nurburgring, Rouen, Clermont Ferrand...), and circuits that were viewed as lamentable in the 1960's (eg Le Mans Bugatti) are viewed as great now. Challenging corners are either tightened or chicaned, and run-off is added to the point of the circuits becoming characterless. From my perspective, that is disappointing, especially since the drivers choose to undertake a profession with inherent risks.

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[D-Type]

Is this discussion really necesary? Having been involved with racing since very early sixties, and met some of the drivers who have died, there seems to be too much interest in this type of stuff as it is.

If someone wants to know, there are plenty of other places to look on the web for gore.

This type of discussion as to who was killed in the worst f1 crashes as though it was some contest, has no place on this website, and this thread should be closed and deleted.

And before certain posters correctly point out that their participation is not of such a nature, I agree, (and I kept thinking of Williamson when the crash of RS at Indy occurred where he was laft to just sit there while the so-called safety car wandered around the enire course) but some of the other stuff falls far short.Very well put - I couldn't agree more.

And isn't it just crass insensitivity of SGWilko to make a joke about it?

[SGWilko]

Very well put - I couldn't agree more.

And isn't it just crass insensitivity of SGWilko to make a joke about it?

I have never quite understood the mentality of those who, for example, watch an entire tv programme knowing it contains material that may offend, then feel the need to write to the broadcaster and complain.

As in this case, if you take offence to the thread, steer well clear.

If the link I posted was actually poking fun at a fatality I might see your POV, but it was a simple joke that contained a play on words.

I apologise to anyone who finds a picture of a dislodged 'help' key traumatic.

:down:

[AndyPerry]

Not an F1 accident, but still photos of Zanardi's accident in Germany clearly show the flesh of his legs being scattered. Just jaw dropping awful.

Seeing Gilles' body cartwheel was pretty sickening.

I read that Cevert was decapitated by his car submarining the guardrailing at Watkins Glen. That must have been just devastating for the course workers.

Cevert wasn't decapitated - his car turned over and slid along the armco. He was basically cut in half.

Helmut Koenigg was the one whose car went UNDER the armco. He was the one who got decapitated.

[Ari]

For me it was watching the Senna accident live. He was my hero. Watching him lifeless in the car with the medico's over him was not an experience I enjoy reliving.

I was recording the GP that night so I still have the whole thing on tape. That said, I've not watched it again since. Not even once. I can't bring myself to do it.

I went to bed that night not knowing whether Senna would be okay or not. In the morning my alarm clock was set to radio and as it started at exactly 7am the first words that came from my alarm were "the death of a racing legend". This was obviously the first report at 7am. I laid there a few hours and didn't go to school that day. I was devastated.

Could I also note that this thread should be best served without pictures or youtube references.

[Bagwan]

I have never quite understood the mentality of those who, for example, watch an entire tv programme knowing it contains material that may offend, then feel the need to write to the broadcaster and complain.

As in this case, if you take offence to the thread, steer well clear.

If the link I posted was actually poking fun at a fatality I might see your POV, but it was a simple joke that contained a play on words.

I apologise to anyone who finds a picture of a dislodged 'help' key traumatic.

:down:

Since that now the thread has drifted into the field of whether or not it is proper to have a thread such as this , I will enter the discussion .

Frankly , putting all this death and sorrow in one place brings all of the carnage and sadness resulting , welling up in one's soul , and makes me wonder if it's all worth it .
One can spin it to say that we are much safer now , but , to me , it just puts the loss of so many of our heroes into one big ball of woe .

There's a series of videos that was , and maybe still is put out yearly , called "And , they walked away" . It was only tolerable because it ensured right up front , that you were not going to be watching anyone die .


A simple joke , or play on words , can be simply too much in such an emotionally charged atmosphere , and we must be careful to understand that criticism of such is not just possible , but likely .
Rather than reacting with a thumbs down after a sorry , Wilco , try to understand that this thread hurts some with it's very existence .

That said , you were reacting to a rather ascerbic shot from D-type , so I do understand to a degree .


Now , as this thread creeps me out , I'm outta here .

[V12]

Is this discussion really necesary? Having been involved with racing since very early sixties, and met some of the drivers who have died, there seems to be too much interest in this type of stuff as it is.

If someone wants to know, there are plenty of other places to look on the web for gore.

This type of discussion as to who was killed in the worst f1 crashes as though it was some contest, has no place on this website, and this thread should be closed and deleted.

And before certain posters correctly point out that their participation is not of such a nature, I agree, (and I kept thinking of Williamson when the crash of RS at Indy occurred where he was laft to just sit there while the so-called safety car wandered around the enire course) but some of the other stuff falls far short.


I see your point of view and understand it, but for twenty-somethings like myself (and the starter of this thread), who have probably only ever seen Senna and Ratzenberger die in an F1 car (I was three when de Angelis died and was born after Villeneuve and Paletti's accidents), well not sure how to put it, but speaking for myself I have a great interest and curiosity in all aspects of our sport's history, be they technical, to do with the racing itself, to do with the personalities involved, or in this case the tragedies that, like it or not, have shaped our sport and changed it - for better or worse.

I would agree with you fully if every other thread on the History & Nostalgia forum was discussing this sort of thing.

The worst f1 crash I have seen was Gilles Villeneuve's crash we lost a great driving legend that day.

[rabf1]

Crashes and their consequences are part of racing. I see nothing wrong with discussing this.

I read that Senna died because a suspension piece punctured his visor/helmet and that if it hadn't been for that, he would have probably walked away. Barrichello's crash earlier that weekend looked as bad or worse than Senna's and Barichello walked away.

I do agree that Senna's accident was the "worst" in the sense that as a result we lost the greatest F1 driver ever.

[AAReagles]

... the marshall but his stupidity cost Pryce because his fire extinguisher hit Pryce in the head and supposedly decapitated him.

My understanding, of what I could recollect about the marshal was that he was a young man on his first stint in such an occupation (I am not entirely certain on this). However, I'm sure some of you are aware of the fact that in some venues, fire marshals are handed a fire-extinguisher and are provided with little instruction of proper reaction to crashes/disabled vehicles and/or any other potentially hazardous occurances while on duty. Particulary back in those days.

Unfortunately, solid measures to minimize possible problems from occuring on or near the track are overlooked, until something like this happens.

Let's also not forget that he (the fire marshal) was someone's family member as well.

[Ari]

What worries me about the way the media portrays motorsport is when they show accidents in the opening titles, to attract attention. The media should grant the public some intelligence; we're perfectly capable of watching sport without some disaster happening. If they'd just stop trying to make us think that we want crashes, we'd stop wanting crashes and motorsport will gain some more respect from the general public.

But I digress... but it makes me mad.


Unfortunately, you're wrong with that one. The die-hards (no pun!) like us watch it because we love the sport and what the drivers are doing with their cars. That is the buzz for us. To watch a Ferrari on it's last bit of tyres hold onto a race etc etc.

Reality however is that the advertising is what it's all about. It's the ads on the cars and the ads on the broadcast. Die-hards would account for maybe 10% of viewers at the moment. The vast majority of viewers are the channel flickers and casual interest folk. These guys don't understand the sport on the same level as we do and generally speaking love a good crash. It's exciting to them. In some ways it's what they watch it for, waiting for a crash. Nascar in itself is a perfect example of this.

So while we may not watch it for a crash and cringe when we see one, the vast majority of the market loves it.

[D-Type]

I have never quite understood the mentality of those who, for example, watch an entire tv programme knowing it contains material that may offend, then feel the need to write to the broadcaster and complain.

As in this case, if you take offence to the thread, steer well clear.

If the link I posted was actually poking fun at a fatality I might see your POV, but it was a simple joke that contained a play on words.

I apologise to anyone who finds a picture of a dislodged 'help' key traumatic.

:down: You have totally missed my point.

Several contributors have expressed reservations about the subject matter of this thread. I include myself amongst those who 'feel discomfort'. This is probably because I have been around long enough to remember when we lost five grand prix drivers in one season and because I personally witnessed an accident that left the driver crippled for life. After 40 years I can still recall the image of a rag doll like body emerging from a cloud of dust separately rom the car.

To their credit all posters have treated the subject with the respect it deserves. Clearly from some of the postings it is clear that information about historic crashes is not readily available and deveral misconceptions have been corrected.

I accept that in the words of Mario Andretti "Racing is also this".

But what I do consider and in bad taste is to introduce a joke, no matter how innocuous the joke itself might be, into a thread relating to a subject as sensitive and serious as this. The insensitivity lies in introducing a joke not in the nature of the joke itself.

[SGWilko]

You have totally missed my point.

Several contributors have expressed reservations about the subject matter of this thread. I include myself amongst those who 'feel discomfort'. This is probably because I have been around long enough to remember when we lost five grand prix drivers in one season and because I personally witnessed an accident that left the driver crippled for life. After 40 years I can still recall the image of a rag doll like body emerging from a cloud of dust separately rom the car.

To their credit all posters have treated the subject with the respect it deserves. Clearly from some of the postings it is clear that information about historic crashes is not readily available and deveral misconceptions have been corrected.

I accept that in the words of Mario Andretti "Racing is also this".

But what I do consider and in bad taste is to introduce a joke, no matter how innocuous the joke itself might be, into a thread relating to a subject as sensitive and serious as this. The insensitivity lies in introducing a joke not in the nature of the joke itself.

Fair enough.

[ArrowsFA1]

It's a difficult subject in many ways.

In one sense recalling some of the accidents mentioned here reminds us of how perilous racing could be. Serious injury or even death was reality. It was something racing drivers had to deal with, as mentioned in Doug Nye's column in Motor Sport this month in conversation with Tony Brooks.

I didn't live through the worst of those days. My interest in F1 began in the mid-70's when the sport was becoming much safer, although certainly not as safe as it is today. For those whose interest began much later the death of a racing driver is an exceptional event. It simply does not happen often, which is possibly why the loss of Senna had such an impact.

Then there's the rather different issue of whether safety levels today have had a negative impact on driver attitudes. I imagine that getting into a car knowing there was a real chance of being hurt is very different to knowing if you had an accident you are likely to be able to walk away. It may be argued that drivers had more respect for each other than they do now in terms of avoiding contact.

As with many things an appreciation of the past helps us appreciate the present.

[Kevincal]

Sorry, but I forget the racers name. The worst F1 crash I have heard of is the beheading of a driver who went through the bottom portion of a guardrail, while the top stayed intact...

[aryan]

This year, the DC and Wurz accident could have been fatal. So lucky we didn't have to cope with that.

Not in F1, but in modern times the Mark Webber Le Mans accidents in 1999 were also hohrrible.

[Ari]

This year, the DC and Wurz accident could have been fatal. So lucky we didn't have to cope with that.

Not in F1, but in modern times the Mark Webber Le Mans accidents in 1999 were also hohrrible.


Yeah.

I couldn't believe they wanted him to get back in the car for a THIRD time after that!?!? No bloody way!!

[SGWilko]

The Gerhard Berger accident in 89 was quite nasty, and could have been a lot worse had the marshals not been on the scene within 10 seconds.

IIRC this accident is the reason why teams are not now allowed to chill fuel.

[Azumanga Davo]

Fernando Alonso flying round the last corners in Brazil a while back. That was one of those 'what if...' moments...

Not F1, but the Troy Critchley Pro Mod accident on the public road earlier this year was a crash that claimed lives that shouldn't have... :(

[samehere]

Hi, im new-ish here (not posted for a while.) I may be 22 but i've always been interested in the history of F1, there's plenty of great video's nowadays on the net (Youtube) showing just how F1 used to be in the good old days.

But a lot of people on Youtube only seem interested in watching videos of crashes and fatal accidents and some i found on there were horrible (Tom Pryce's accident in 77 is just about the worst i have seen.)

So im wondering what do you think is the worst accident you've seen in F1 racing?

gilles vilneuve 1982 Zolder...

[GingerLynn]

There were some terrible crashes in the 60's-80's... Some you just do not want to see but are out there on the web.

Of the newer dissasters one which always horrified me was Rubens Barrichello @ Imola 1994.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSI27en56tg

Also Bergers crash @ Tamberello in 1991 was FAR WORSE then Senna's so it appeared.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPOAaMM7DvY

[CCFanatic]

I am young, and I though Kubica's crash was just scary. Verstappen at Monza. Schumacher's leg breaking crash. Ralf's crash at Indy.

[FIA]

Sorry, but I forget the racers name. The worst F1 crash I have heard of is the beheading of a driver who went through the bottom portion of a guardrail, while the top stayed intact...

That was Helmut(h) Koeinigg at Watkins Glen 1974

[Bagwan]

The worst crash of all is in McLaren stocks right now .

[AAReagles]

The worst crash of all is in McLaren stocks right now .
:laugh:

[SGWilko]

I recall two startline pileups in particular.

One was (I think) in Austria in the 80's (6 or 7 maybe), one caused by mansell's slipping clutch, and another stack at the restart.....

The other one was Spa in mid to late 90's, when half the field crashed, possibly as a result of a coming together with Coulthard and another?

No serious injuries, probably some hurt pride though....

[Bezza]

I've been watching F1 since 1993 and I was only 8 years old so it is hard for me to judge overall on earlier accidents as the ones I've seen are all in retrospect. There is nothing more frightening than seeing a crash live and the driver not immediately getting out. With that in mind I am lucky in that only once - Senna - has the worse happened. I missed Greg Moore's crash even though at the time I was a big follower of CART. The worst accident I've seen then is Luciano Burti's at Spa in 2001. - he went straight on into the tyre-wall at 190mph and the car just stuck there. He was very lucky to survive.

Accidents are part of racing and whatever you say, do add to the excitement - maybe not for all of us, but for the majority of the casual fans - as long as the driver walks away. I am excited by a big accident when the driver gets out and waves to the crowd - you think to yourself "wow! that was huge!" but the guy just gets out and walks out and so you credit the safety of F1 that a crash like that can happen without casualty. If accidents were impossible then barely anyone would watch F1, because the unpredictability would be taken out altogether.

[L-P_qwerty]

I did a 10 minute long video of Formula 1 crashes, its from 70's and 80's and doesn't include fatal accidents. Check it out. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UkqY4YZVlCY

[call_me_andrew]

I think ESPN produces an annual special called "Thrills and Spills". They always make it a point to mention that all the drivers were able to recover from their accidents and return to racing.

I was going through some old Indy 500 videos on Youtube the other day and I found one of Gordon Smiley's crash in 1982. That scared the crap out of me.

I caught Grand Prix on TV the other day and I realized that you couldn't make a movie like that today. Not just because of logistics, but because racing is so much safer than it used to be.

Someone on the forums once remarked, "I remember when sex was safe and racing was dangerous."

[woody2goody]

Being under 20 years old, I don't remember seeing any fatal crashes on the TV. But I used to, and very occasionally still do, have a dream about a helicopter flying away from the Imola circuit.

I didn't follow F1 back then as I was only 5, but that one image has been plain as day to me for nearly 14 years. When I saw the video of THAT race, the images were eerily accurate.

I have looked at fatal crashes on the aforementioned websites, but this is because I am interested in the history of motor racing. And when you know that so-and-so racing legend died in a crash, it makes you want to know what happened so you can piece together the puzzle that is F1.

I was shocked to my core for a good hour or so when Kubica crashed in Canada last year. It has to be the worst crash I've ever seen in F1, but others spring to mind - '98 spa pile up, Burti 2001 - GER, BEL. Raikkonen at Hockenheim when his rear wing failed was pretty bad.

The ones that we are very lucky to say didn't turn out fatal were DC-Wurz '07, Heidfeld-Sato '02 and possibly even Ralf's back-breaker at Indianapolis. This shows just how safe our sport has become, but at the same time how dangerous it remains.

[Tazio]

Nice bit (horrifying actually) on the incident, the man, and the brave drivers that saved his life!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article3466290.ece
His decision to retire amid the blind chaos at Fuji on October 24, thus handing the world championship to Hunt by a point, was the logical thing to do for a man who had stared into an abyss that many of his fellow drivers had been spared! As he took his helmet off there ahead of time, Niki made the pivotal announcement of his career. “There are more important things in life than the world championship, like staying alive.”

There was nobody else in the world who knew that better than he did. And that one rare day of defeat did not stop him coming back to win time and again.