The 2011 Malaysian GP saw Renault’s Vitaly Petrov suffer a heavy landing after a bizarre accident.
“On this day 15 years ago, the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix featured one of the most bizarre accidents in modern F1. Sebastian Vettel dominated the second round of the season at the Sepang International Circuit, but it was an airborne incident involving Vitaly Petrov that provided one of the race’s most dramatic moments. The Russian driver’s afternoon ended spectacularly on lap 52 when his Renault launched into the air after hitting a drainage gully, breaking the steering column and forcing him out whilst running in eighth position. Petrov had slid wide on marbles at Turn 8 and, attempting to rejoin the circuit, encountered a bump caused by the drainage system that catapulted his car skyward. The landing was severe enough to cause terminal damage to the steering components. The impact was so hard that the steering wheel jolted off the steering column and was left in Petrov’s hands. ‘I knew it was a big kerb, but I was not expecting such a big jump,’ Petrov explained after the incident.”
