Formula 1’s safety standards were put to the test last Friday at Monza when Marcus Ericsson suffered a terrifyingly violent accident during the early stages of FP2.
Heavy rain through Friday morning meant the entirety of running in FP1 took place on the Intermediate and Wet tyres, but the circuit gradually dried through lunchtime.
It meant slick rubber was able to be used from the outset of FP2 – and a design flaw with Sauber’s DRS was immediately demonstrated.
Ericsson’s DRS did not reattach as required under braking for the Rettifilo chicane, pitching him hard into the barriers, causing heavy damage to the front of the C37, while its trajectory meant Ericsson’s car was sent into a series of somersaults and rolls, kicking up dirt and dust in the process.
Ericsson was able to clamber from the wreckage, survey the warzone-like scene for himself, and was swiftly given the all-clear after a trip to the Medical Centre. Only a stiff neck when he awoke the following morning was evidence of the accident. “It’s quite incredible really,” said Ericsson. “It says a lot about the safety in Formula 1 nowadays.”
Sauber undertook the necessary fixes on both cars, with Charles Leclerc revealing that their different approaches to using DRS (Leclerc closes it manually, Ericsson with the brakes) meant a repeat accident was always unlikely anyway.
Ericsson, though, was left to reflect on an accident that he quipped “took the prize” for the biggest of his racing career.
“For me it was a strange one because usually in the way you crash you sort of… you know it’s a corner, you carry too much speed or you hit with someone else, so you see sort of see it’s happening before it’s happens… you sort of know why it happens usually,” he explained.
“But this was just so like sudden and unpredictable.
“I just touched the brakes and suddenly the car just spins in that speed and then it starts rolling and flying around, all while that was happening I had no idea was going on!
“I was like ‘why is this happening?’ when it stopped… in the end it was good there was nothing worse than that
“I was quite happy it was not a wall in the end because I think it was good I kept rolling until the speed was down.
“But I think it was three impacts that were more than 25Gs, rolling and flying through the air, was going on for quite a while and you get a bit shaken up definitely.”
Sauber broke the curfew in order to repair the C37, complete with a new chassis, and Ericsson participated in the remainder of the race weekend.
“I think the thing for me when you have a big crash, this was the biggest one in my career, but from the past when you have a big crash, I always prefer to be in the car as soon as possible after it else you think a bit more about it, what happened, things that happened,” he said.
“If you’re able to jump in the car the next day then you get into it and after a few laps okay you’re back to it, get the feeling again, start trusting the car, and then you sort of forget about it and move on.
“For me it was perfect to be able to be in the car again and like I said it took a few laps in FP3 just to build yourself up a bit but come quali I was right on it.”
Formula 1 Race Director Charlie Whiting also praised the safety developments that ensured Ericsson was able to walk away unscathed.
“Look at the violence in that accident and the wheels all stayed on which was a magnificent testament to the strength of those and the strength of the whole car,” he said.
“Recent focus has been on halo but there’s been so many improvements over the years to the strengths of the chassis with impact structures, wheel tethers, the height of the cockpit.
“All those things came together to help Marcus.”
