Marcus Ericsson walked away from one of the biggest Formula One crashes in recent years after losing control of his car at 220mph in practice for the Italian Grand Prix.
Ericsson’s Sauber suddenly veered left under braking for the opening corner at Monza which sent the 27-year-old into the barrier and then barrel-rolling through the air.
Ericsson completed three full somersaults as the front of his car completely disintegrated following the force of the devastating impact.
The Swedish driver came to a standstill the right way up before he was assisted out of his car by marshals, and taken to the on-track medical centre.
? The @SauberF1Team man is up and out of his car after a dramatic crash #ItalianGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/FFTAZB8I0k
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 31, 2018
“I don’t know what happened,” Ericsson said over the radio. “I am OK.”
Ericsson returned to the Sauber garage giving the thumbs up, but he was clearly limping and rubbing his neck.
Ericsson’s incredible crash came just five days after his team-mate Charles Leclerc emerged unscathed from a terrifying first-corner accident in Belgium.
Leclerc, 20, paid tribute to the ‘halo’, Formula One’s new safety device, after it deflected Fernando Alonso’s airborne McLaren away from his head.
Ericsson’s crash happened in the opening moments of Friday’s second practice session which was subsequently delayed for 20 minutes.
