Rookie Buemi escaped disaster by ’10 cm’

Mon, 18 May 2009, 12:01

May 18 (GMM) Formula one narrowly avoided a very nasty outcome at the start of the recent Spanish grand prix

It was in the first corner melee at Barcelona that Sebastian Bourdais’ Toro Rosso climbed over the top of the sister Ferrari-powered car driven by rookie Sebastien Buemi

“It was dangerous,” the 20-year-old Buemi told the Swiss newspaper Blick

“The other Toro Rosso flew past not less than ten centimetres from my helmet, and a bit of the car hit my right shoulder, which hurt briefly,” he revealed

The incident mirrored one in Australia in 2007, when Alex Wurz’s head and hands nearly bore the brunt of David Coulthard’s flying Red Bull

In the wake of the Melbourne crash, additional side head protection was added to the open cockpits of today’s F1 cars

Buemi, meanwhile, clarified that his teammate Bourdais did not apologise for the near-miss

“No, he said only that he didn’t see anything,” added Buemi

You may also like