Formula 1

[Roger Allott]

Originally Posted by Moonraker

Sophia Floersch is an up & coming 14 year old racing driver. She has her sights set on F1. She has the race craft of an much older driver.

Remember her name in eight to ten years.

Sophia is currently in surgery after crashing spectacularly and fracturing her spine at the Formula 3 Macau GP.

And when I say crashing spectacularly, my instant reaction to seeing it was "BLOODY NORA!!!" It's an absolutely nightmare crash and I'm staggered that she's still alive. see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FCeMau0heY

At first sight it looks like her brakes failed or her throttle stuck open at exactly the point on the circuit you really wouldn't want that to happen.

She's only 17 years old and I'm sending all my best wishes to her for a full and complete recovery.

Four others were injured - Japanese driver Sho Tsuboi, who Florsch first crashed into, has been taken to hospital with back pain. Photographer Chan Weng Wang has a liver laceration, photographer Minami Hiroyuki has concussion, marshal Chan Cha In suffered a fractured facial bone and lacerations.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/46253184

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[pharoahegypt]

Originally Posted by Jack Rabbit

A lapped driver taking the leader out of the race?
I see nobody seems to remember the Piquet-Salazar incident in the 1982 German Grand Prix held at Hockenheim. So it could have been even worse...

text: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_German_Grand_Prix

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCPAKVm7-po

Max's own father did it to another race leader back in the day... It's called karma. (albeit passed down the family tree)

[Jack Rabbit]

Originally Posted by pharoahegypt

Max's own father did it to another race leader back in the day... It's called karma. (albeit passed down the family tree)

Yes, he did. If I remember correctly Jos was lapped by Montoya just before the braking point into turn 3 at Interlagos. Montoya then returned to the racing line into that corner exactly in front of Verstappen Sr. Either he lost downforce or was just too late in braking, but he took them both out.

I just searched for a video of that incident and it turns out my memory was way off on this one. Maybe I'm getting too old?
That crash was indeed totally unnessesary and very stupid of Senior.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fIXiuEyiNU

[pharoahegypt]

How did Sophia Floersch survive this with only surgery needed to fix her spine?

[beemerider500]

Originally Posted by pharoahegypt

How did Sophia Floersch survive this with only surgery needed to fix her spine?

Truly remarkable

[Roger Allott]

Originally Posted by pharoahegypt

How did Sophia Floersch survive this with only surgery needed to fix her spine?

The simple answer is an incredible amount of good luck. For a detailed analysis of what factors were in her favour in that instant, I suggest reading https://www.motorsport.com/f3/news/s...lysis/4300061/

What initiated the incident was Sophia trying to pass Jehan Daruvala as they approached the tight 90 degree right-hand Lisboa Bend, which comes at the end of a long straight when the cars are at maximum speed. see bottom-left of this track layout


She took the inside line but needed to be as far left as possible to get good traction after the apex. It's the sort of move we see countless times in any motor race, so no blame can be attributed to anyone for this.

For some reason that still isn't clear, Daruvala slowed down. It's suggested that he saw (or thought he saw) a yellow flag, but there was absolutely no reason for there being one at that time.

Floersch and Daruvala's cars kissed wheels. It's not at all clear which of them was moving towards the other, but both would have wanted the left side of the track, which narrows significantly in the metres ahead of them. Because of his slowing down, the wheels were spinning at different speeds, which creates huge shock that can result in a puncture or suspension failure in one or both of the vehicles. In this case, it was obviously Sophia's car that fate decided would get the vast majority of damage.

Daruvala's car was hurt but he simply cruised to a stop in the run-off area at the end of the straight. Sophia's car however lurched right, after which she was no more than a passenger in what followed. She hit the kerb, which had been substantially remodelled for 2018 to discourage drivers from over-stepping track limits.



The kerb flipped her car into the air - travelling at 276.2km/h (172.5 mph) according to a speed trap - straight into the car of Sho Tsuboi, who was minding his own business ahead of them getting through the apex of Lisboa Bend.

The first bit of amazingly good fortune went to Tsuboi, because Sophia's car's tyres hit his car on the roll-over hoop - just inches from his helmet. He's damn lucky his head is still attached to his body, because a fraction of a degree difference in angle or speed would have seen it sent to Shanghai.



The impact with Tsuboi sent Sophia's car into even more of a multi-axis spin and even more airborne, but it almost certainly saved her life in two ways. First, it meant that she didn't have a head-on collision with the guardrail, which at that speed would have almost certainly been fatal. Second, she wasn't facing the catch-fencing when she hit it, so her body possibly didn't involuntarily tense to the more brittle brace position.

Finally, she had the amazingly good fortune to hit the catch-fencing almost perfectly between two solid posts.

.

[Motorboater]

Glad this is over tonight.

[seldomseen]

Lewis pole and Valtteri 2nd, Mercedes 1 and 2 yesssss.

[pharoahegypt]

DC just quoted Red Dwarf as they all gave emotional final show comments .... lol.

"I regard you as people I once met!" Classic Rimmerism.

Though he does look more like Kryten of course.

[seldomseen]

Well another year over. Some great overtaking by Max the move on Valtteri was sublime. He will be a great contender for the 2019 title if the Honda engine works well at Redbull.