Crashes used to be part and parcel of a Formula One race. Modern technology has seen them become less frequent, but there’s still an occasional crash. Here we look at some that have happened at the British Grand Prix over the years.
Hill/Schumacher, 1995
In 1995 Michael Schumacher was all set to increase his lead over Damon Hill to 11 points in the Driver’s Championship. Unfortunately for Schumacher, Hill tried to do what all British people have been trying to do for years and get ahead of a German.
Jarno Trulli, 2004
Trulli only secured one race win in his entire career at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2004, but two months later he took one hell of a hit at the British Grand Prix.
Gilles Villeneuve, 1981
In a blaze of smoke that’s more commonly associated with Jeremy Clarkson, Gilles Villeneuve took out himself and three other drivers in 1981.
Michael Schumacher, 1999
Four years after his clash with Hill at the British Grand Prix, Schumacher crashed again, this time breaking his leg as he skidded along the gravel track into the protective barriers.
1975
The 1975 British Grand Prix took place in traditional British summer weather, with rain pouring down from all angles. Emerson Fittipaldi was leading the race when he went into the pits, whilst he was there, three of the four leading cars fell victim to the hail storm which brought around a premature ending to the race.
Mark Blundell, 1993
Mark Blundell’s British Grand Prix started disastrously in 1993, when his car crashed right in the middle of the track in the practice lap. The practice was halted whilst they removed the car as two McLarens almost crashed into it as they came over the hill.
1973
The 1973 British Grand Prix is known for the pile-up at the end of the first lap, which culminated in 11 cars retiring from the race. The race was stopped at the end of the second lap and eventually restarted an hour later over the same distance. Andrea de Adamich was forced into retirement following the injuries that he suffered from during the race.
