F1 driver remains conscious after 'violent' airborne crash - On This Day

On 9 September 1990, Ayrton Senna delivered a masterclass at Monza with a grand slam victory in the Italian Grand Prix. But it was Derek Warwick's extraordinary accident at the Parabolica that remains seared into the memory of everyone who witnessed it.

Warwick, driving the Lotus 102 for Camel Team Lotus, was following Mauricio Gugelmin's car closely at the end of the opening lap when he got caught in the aerodynamic turbulence. 

At speeds estimated around 150 mph, the Lotus understeered wide, clipped the grass on the exit of the Parabolica, and struck the barrier with tremendous force.

The impact launched the car into a barrel roll, sending it sliding upside down across the track as debris scattered in all directions. Marshals had to dive clear. 

A brief fire broke out before extinguishing itself as the destroyed Lotus came to rest, its survival cell mercifully intact.

Warwick, remarkably, was conscious throughout. He later explained his composure in chillingly matter-of-fact terms: "I was conscious all the time... My first reaction after that was 'I'm okay' and my second was, 'spare car.'"

He climbed out unaided, ran back to the pits, and, after medical checks declared him fit, jumped into the spare Lotus for the restart. His race ultimately ended with a clutch failure, but his survival was the real story.

Senna victory overshadowed

The severity of Warwick's crash triggered an immediate red flag at the end of lap one, with the race restarted over its full 53-lap distance. From there, Senna controlled proceedings from pole to chequered flag, also setting the fastest lap to complete a grand slam for McLaren-Honda.

Alain Prost brought his Ferrari home second, 6.054 seconds adrift, with Gerhard Berger completing the podium in the second McLaren. 

Nigel Mansell finished fourth in the other Ferrari, while both Benetton drivers lost time through troublesome pit stops, with the leading cars all running non-stop strategies.

It was Senna's 26th career victory, but the image that endured from that afternoon at Monza was not one of triumph. It was a Lotus sliding on its back through the Parabolica, a driver walking away from wreckage that looked entirely unsurvivable, and then asking for the spare car.

"It was a violent impact but I'm OK, no problem!" Warwick told reporters with characteristic nonchalance. Thirty-six years on, it remains one of the most spectacular survivable accidents the sport has ever seen.