Safety and the risks involved
Silverstone saw a bad accident at the start of the Formula 1 race, involving Zhou, Albon and Russell. A multiple and frightening crash, such as has not been seen for a long time. Or at least: again today at Silverstone, on closer inspection, there has already been a ‘flight’ of a single-seater that with one front wheel has arrived over the head of a driver in Formula 2. In the afternoon, in Formula 1, then, this ‘tangle’ at the beginning, where the Chinese pilot experienced an ‘inverted flight’ of about 200 meters. Ironically, there was also Tom Cruise among the VIP guests of the competition: what an honor in front of the master of the famous ‘inverted flight’ of the first Top Gun, which still many remember as the most amusing and irreverent scene of the film!
In today’s naked reality, this unexpected take-off of Sauber scared a lot and was fortunately resolved without consequences for the pilot thanks to the Halo, the recent device to protect the pilots’ head that had already been indispensable for the previous event in the lower category. The team from Hinwil, however, also sweated very cold, as the device wanted by the federation held but the roll bar broke, so the infrastructure that was to safeguard the driver’s safety did not do its job well to the end. . Perhaps also due to a different structural design, in fact, the Swiss ‘cage’ probably crumbled due to the dynamics of the ‘flight’, i.e. the impact with the ground and the direction in which the car crawled upside down.
In short, the ‘central blade’ shape that characterizes Sauber’s choice may have suffered an oblique impact, less usual and evidently considered less likely in the design phase, so much so as to make a choice of a ‘not too solid’ shape of which today, a lot probably, someone will regret it.
Fate and unexpected events: no valid predictions
After Zhou’s accident, for which he has no responsibility but could be very serious, few other things could seem worthy of note in the rest of the race, but the interesting facts were actually so many that they could not even be mentioned all. We cannot forget, however, that in the early stages Sainz had been given an ‘unpleasant’ team order when he already seemed to have more than Leclerc, but on the other hand with the world champion and world leader in eighth position, he was obviously just try to get the highest ranking rider to recover points.
One thing that at the moment could not be judged entirely correct: Sainz was there by merit, but on the other hand both reds would have lost fundamental seconds, which would have paid at the moment in which Hamilton was still under fire. Speaking of the seven-time champion, on lap 34 he was penalized by his own team due to a very long pit stop, over 4 seconds, which saw him return after the two Ferraris, in that moment first and second. Shortly after, however, on lap 39 a safety car entered for three laps due to a car parked in the middle of the track. From there the beginning of Leclerc’s downward trend, at that moment still favorite for the victory: different tire choices, fratricidal fight with his teammate at the restart and then the ‘cinema’ of the last ten laps, in which Perez and Hamilton engage with Leclerc one of the most epic duels of the whole decade.