Formula 1 News

Italian GP Practice: Kimi Raikkonen unharmed after big accident 

Finnish Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen has walked away from a heavy crash during Saturday morning’s practice session at Monza. Raikkonen was approaching Ascari when his Ferrari appeared to suffer a mechanical failure and jerked violently to the right. It hit the concrete barrier and slid at high speed along a strip of grass that lay between the gravel trap and the barrier before crashing heavily into the tyre wall.

Raikkonen was able to exit the car immediately, however the session was red-flagged while the remains of the car were retrieved and the tyrewall repaired. Changes had been made to the circuit in an effort to improve safety in preparation for this year’s race, with the gravel run-off at the second chicane having been replaced by asphalt. However some drivers had highlighted other sections of the track as needing attention in the future, including the spot where Raikkonen crashed.

“Parabolica and Ascari are still on the edge,” Mark Webber told journalists on Friday. “You’re still going to go in hard if you have a failure.”