Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix is the next race of this season. Teams will head from the narrow street circuit of Albert Park to the high-speed racing circuit of the Shanghai International Circuit. Traditionally, the circuit is very long, with many high-speed corners that caused havoc in the past.
The penultimate corner of the track has played a huge part in many crashes as it comes after a high-speed long straight. Let us re-watch and rank some of the big and scary accidents in the Chinese Grand Prix race since 2004.
Here are the ranking the top 5 scary disasters at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix
1. Lewis Hamilton pinned to the gravel
F1 legend Lewis Hamilton was outstanding on his debut as he challenged the then reigning world champion Fernando Alonso and Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen for the F1 title in his rookie year. Alonso was also Hamilton’s teammate during that time and to everybody’s surprise, Lewis outpaced Alonso in every race.
But his title dream ended at the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix, where he led the race and entered the pits for tyre change. He made a small mistake of going wide while turning but got stuck in the gravel. Hamilton couldn’t come out of the gravel and it was game over for the McLaren driver. He lost the F1 title to Kimi Raikkonen by 1 point in Brazil and if he hadn't made that mistake in China, he would have been an eight-time world champion now.
2. Sebastian Buemi’s double tyre blast
One of the weirdest things that happened in Formula 1 was during the 2010 season at the Chinese Grand Prix race. Buemi was driving for the Torro Rosso team and in the practice session he was flat out on the main straight. At that time, his two front tyres detached from his car and he went straight into the gravel. It was due to a suspension failure and luckily Sebastian was unhurt and emerged safely. This is one of the weirdest race accidents in F1 history.
3. Michael Schumacher’s Mistake
In 2005, Michael Schumacher was defending his title against Fernando Alonso and he made a big mistake during the Chinese Grand Prix. Before the race, the drivers were asked to circle the track and get to their grid positions. While Schumacher was on his way to the grid, he smashed into the Minardi F1 car driven by Christijan Albers.
The Minardi’s front right suspension was broken and Schumacher’s left side is completely damaged. The race was already over for the two drivers as the suspension damage during the race couldn't be repaired on time. Schumacher lost his title to Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.
4. Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel Spin
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was chasing Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas after a pit strategy mistake cost his pole position. Eventually, he was attacked by Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen at the back. While defending his position, Verstappen slid through the penultimate corner of the track. He dashed the Ferrari car and both drivers went for a spin. This cost his race position and Daniel Ricciardo overtook Bottas in the next few laps and won the race.
5. Alex Albon’s costly mistake
Before the Covid outbreak, the last Chinese Grand Prix happened in 2019. Alex Albon was racing for the Torro Rosso team, where he made a huge mistake during the free practice session. It was a costly error when he passed the final corner. He slipped through the curbs, lost control of his car and crashed heavily into the walls. The mini Red Bull car was torn and left on the sides of the track before the race marshals came for Albon's rescue.
Also Read: Most wins in F1 Chinese Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton, the Dragon Land King.
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