Macau F3 accident this weekend

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-Felix-
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Re: Macau F3 accident this weekend

Post by -Felix- »

I experienced it all live, and although I'm in the business a couple of years now and have seen some horrific accidents in that time, nothing shook me more than this. Because all the other times I thought "that is a big one, that will hurt!", but only this time for the first time ever I thought "this is fatal". No way we could imagine how she would have survived such an impact with a F3 car.
Since her pits was just opposite ours and she was staying in the same hotel, I saw her all the time before. And seeing that and thinking she might not have survived during the 30mins after the crash (until we got notice from Race Director she is alive) made me very sick and gave me another view on the times 30+ years ago, where this feeling and aura in the paddock was "business as usual". People tend to glorify the golden age of motor racing, but honestly, I can not imagine beeing a race engineer in that times. Of course they tell it all the time in documentaries and stuff, but experiencing those feelings by yourself gives you an even more horrific picture. I'm very happy for her and think she should celebrate a second birthday that date...

And I hope, I will never encounter such an event ever again!
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Re: Macau F3 accident this weekend

Post by Seiiki »

CTurbert wrote:
flashman wrote:A bunch of angels watching over everyone is so right. Very shocking, as her car flew by so fast it looked almost like it was shot out of a cannon. Her car's throttle had to have stuck at full blast for that much speed to have been built up. It is a miracle that she survived, and that others weren't killed or more severely injured.

Cameron
She clipped a car that had braked unexpectedly early (Due to a false yellow flag) which broke her left side wheels. She reacted by hitting the brakes, but with only her right side wheels intact that caused her to spin, then slide backwards in to the curb launching her car in to the air. The driver of the white/yellow car was very lucky, as well as the spectators. https://streamable.com/llqz0
I saw the entire accident a few times with various angles and this was what I got from the crash.

There was no yellow flags whatsoever. It was the first lap at racing speed after the 4 cars pile up at the opening lap at the same Lisboa Bend corner. The safety car had to be out for a few laps for the safety crews to clean up all the cars involved.

Jehan Deruvala's car and Sophia was disputing 15th place. The front part of the Guia Circuit is the quickest and the widest (4 lanes) before the Lisboa Bend turn leading to the technical, much narrower uphill sections. Most of the cars were going carefully and a bit slower because the tyre temperature was not normal. They were mostly single file and there was a group of 3 cars dicing 3 wide before.

It was a racing incident with a serious of hits which became catastrophic. Yes, it was the blue sausage curb at the far inside of the normal red and white curb which launched her car in the air.

In fact, the speed of her entering the Lisboa Bend was recorded at 276.2 km/h, where it should be hard on the brakes and taken at either First or Second Gear at 100 km/h. It took 3 milliseconds from there, clipping Sho Tsoboi's innocent car (actually nicked him with the damaged left rear suspension crushed his front right suspension with the right front tyre facing upward. This lifted her car even higher now that it was tilting more on one side. Then the backward car hitting the top part of first crash fence, breaking two supporting posts, and turning vertical before crashing into the right side on the top floor of the temporary Media Bunker, where 3 photographers were working at the moment. (2 were injured).

Here are some of the angles and the horrific damages which luckily everyone survived:

1. The slow motion of the crash as it happened:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Do6C0hlKo

2. The various angles captured at the beginning of the incident:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p7GoXj9Kis&t=2s

3. The photographer who was at the 'left' side of the Media Bunker. Taking the pictures and the aftermath of the Bunker after the hit:
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/11/20/p ... nMm_tADgE0

The FIA is investigating the incident. With the speed that she was going. The obvious question was that had the blue sausage curb was not there. Would that crash better or worse off? Other questions was that had the Media Bunker not there, would it cleared off the Second Catch Fence as well? There was no spectator stand because the Lisboa Hotel is directly behind, with the trajectory of her car. It would be either hitting the front pillar to the entrance or the glass windows at the second floor.

It was a freak incident where she was a complete passenger. But if there might be more being done, which included the Oval style padded barriers to take down the speed and the absorb the impact once her car was at the inside guard rail. So at the very least, the car would slowed down significantly before the turn.
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Re: Macau F3 accident this weekend

Post by sky1911 »

I remember the last fatal accidents I have seen when watching races (Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna)
and on seeing the video posted above, knowing about those accidents, I was certain that this was another one.
However, having read the post before watching the video I knew she was survived. But as others have said, while
watching the first scene of that video linked above, I didn't realize what had just happened when I saw where
the car was. It took a few of the other angles and slow motion replays to grasp what had happened - or at least
the part we could see. Seeing how the car hit the tower with the driver's head facing towards the tower, I simply
do not understand how that was not fatal. I'm glad it wasn't - all the best to Sophia.
Cheers,
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Re: Macau F3 accident this weekend

Post by stubeck »

Seikki, are you saying the yellow light didn't turn on? I thought that was what others had seen at the scene, that a marshall incorrectly turned it on.
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Re: Macau F3 accident this weekend

Post by Seiiki »

stubeck wrote:Seikki, are you saying the yellow light didn't turn on? I thought that was what others had seen at the scene, that a marshall incorrectly turned it on.
It could well be a yellow 'light' being turned on by mistake prior to the initial hit of the incident itself. But we never have the in-car cameras angle to show if this was the case. So far, the footage was either captions from the Bend throughout, or well after she lost control of the car at the outside and inside grandstands prior to the turn itself.
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Re: Macau F3 accident this weekend

Post by gp-models »

Today Sophia announced that she will return to the race circus next month again, glad to hear this, tough little lady! :D
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Re: Macau F3 accident this weekend

Post by Corpsegrinder »

Very glad to hear this, her accident was horrible.
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Re: Macau F3 accident this weekend

Post by stubeck »

She's been pretty active on Instagram the last few months, she basically walked away from the wreck. Its absolutely amazing and she got super lucky!
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