Sebastian Vettel says a terrifying shunt at Albert Park on Sunday could easily have been F1’s worst moment since the horror Imola weekend of 1994.
BMW Sauber’s teenaged Friday tester was watching the 2007 season opener from the pits when Alex Wurz’s helmeted head nearly bore the brunt of David Coulthard’s flying Red Bull.
At a speed in the range of 160kph, the distance between the left sidepod of Coulthard’s RB3 and Williams racer Wurz’s face is estimated at about 15cm.
“If (the car) had hit Alex’s head, he wouldn’t have had a hope. It was incredibly dangerous,” Vettel, 19, said on Sunday.
Mercedes’ competition director Norbert Haug, who also watched in horror, praised 33-year-old Wurz’s “lightening” reflexes as – sensing Coulthard’s 600kg single seater – he whipped his hands from the steering wheel.
The German said: “If he would not have done that, Alex would have some seriously damaged hands.”
