All received medical treatment. Blomstedt and one marshal were taken to hospital. However all five are understood not to have suffered any life-threatening injuries.
Blomstedt, who was leading at the time of the crash, tangled with a group of cars he was lapping and suffered a heavy front-on impact with a barrier behind which a group of marshals were standing.
The race, which was the series’ second event of the weekend, was immediately red-flagged afterwards. Activity at the track was suspended for 90 minutes while the crash scene at marshal post 12 approaching the Fagnes corner was attended to.
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Gary
28th July 2018, 14:01
OMG. It is amazing that driver was not killed by the sudden deceleration. Modern safety engineering and equipment is unreal.
anon
28th July 2018, 15:22
Watching it, I’d say that the bigger miracle was that the marshals were not seriously injured given that the barrier was completely destroyed in that crash.
If the marshals stood there had been a fraction slower in getting out of the way, then I think it is highly likely that they would have been killed given the force with which he struck the barrier (you can see one marshal still behind the back of the steel frame just to the left of where the car struck the barrier). It shows that they are still pretty exposed and that protection measures for the marshals really has remained static for years compared to the improvements for drivers.
Nathan Builder (@nathanbuilder)
28th July 2018, 14:12
That was a horrible crash, holy crap. Really crappy incident as well. So glad everyone is alright.
faulty (@faulty)
28th July 2018, 14:39
Terrible hit. As @nathanbuilder has already said, glad everyone is not with life-changing injuries.
carbon_fibre (@carbon_fibre)
28th July 2018, 14:43
Wow, a small nudge caused all that.
Picklehead
28th July 2018, 15:27
Damn. Those were some lucky boys. They probably didn’t even see it coming their way.
Broke84 (@broke84)
28th July 2018, 21:54
What makes you assume all the marshalls were male?
Picklehead
28th July 2018, 23:10
The same way I assumed they were not boys. I’m Irish sometimes my wording can look strange.
Formula1 (@s2g-unit)
29th July 2018, 6:38
@broke84
Get a life
Broke84 (@broke84)
5th August 2018, 14:03
my life is great thanks.
ben
28th July 2018, 15:56
Definitely a flawed run-off area. They just never seem to learn.
Chris Wright (@chriswrig)
28th July 2018, 16:16
Yes, they never learn. Reminded me of Silverstone in the 1960s, with marshalls in the open behind straw bales. I was there when sadly a marshall was killed. How could that marshalls’ post ever be safe, where a car can hit it head on?
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
28th July 2018, 18:21
@chriswrig I’m seriously puzzled at how on earth could someone think this location would be a good spot for anyone standing there. Also the shape of the barrier looks way too perpendicular to the circuit there and from that angle the crash look absolutely awful. I hope it will be improved.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
28th July 2018, 18:31
I think the same when I see marshal posts like the one at Thruxton on the inside of church corner. I know its on the inside of the corner away from the normal racing line and all normal momentum, but its just an exposed hut.
These guys neay got taken out by the full tyre wall. So glad nothing major in terms of injuries.
jamesluke2488
28th July 2018, 23:39
The post position for me as a track marshal is fine, the incident was a freak accident in itself and even with brut force of the car hit the tyre barrier at full impact, no one was seriously hurt, this shows the adequacy and how well planned the marshal posts are!
MaddMe (@)
28th July 2018, 16:17
It looks to me like the marshalls were standing in a potentially dangerous position, given that there was a much more protected position just a few feet away, which would have given an equal viewing point to see what was happening…
MaddMe (@)
28th July 2018, 16:19
Standing in a potentially dangerous position, I should have written ‘a dangerous position (for them)…
Chris Wright (@chriswrig)
28th July 2018, 19:04
Without being able to see the whole area, it looks as though the marshalls needed to be there with the flags, not because it was a convenient viewing position. Anyway, let’s hope this lets the FIA look at all marshalls’ posts on every track.
MtlRacer (@mtlracer)
28th July 2018, 21:11
The quarter-speed slow motion Youtube feature is rather useful for this video.
kartguy07 (@kartguy07)
29th July 2018, 14:01
Mauronic. Glad everyone is largely ok, very nasty hit angle.