Alexander Rossi’s preparations for Indy 500 abruptly changed on Monday after a spectacular accident during the final practice session, in which Romain Grosjean was involuntarily involved.
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The winner of the 2016 edition, qualified on the front row for the 110th edition of the event with a second place on the grid, had to undergo surgery after being injured on a finger of his left hand as well as his right ankle.
The accident occurred during a practice session held after qualifying.
Triple somersault
At the wheel of his Dallara-Chevrolet No. 20 from Ed Carpenter Racing, Rossi lost control of his car exiting turn 2 before violently hitting the outside wall from behind. The impact lifted the car onto its side before it came back to the middle of the track, directly into the path of other drivers.
A few moments later, Pato O’Ward, McLaren driver, was unable to avoid Rossi’s stationary car and hit it sideways in an extremely impressive collision. Romain Grosjean was also involved in the accident as debris scattered on the track.
Images of Rossi’s car showed the violence of the impact: the entire left side had been torn off and significant marks were visible near the aeroscreen.
Rossi under medical supervision
Transported to a local hospital, Rossi successfully underwent surgery before his team confirmed that his injuries remained relatively minor and most importantly that he still intended to participate in the race on Sunday.
“Rossi is in good spirits and has no other injuries,” said Ed Carpenter Racing. The team also stated that the driver would remain under the supervision of the IndyCar medical director, Julia Vaizer, with the clear goal of returning to the track during the final practice on Friday before the 500 Miles.
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The ECR staff is now preparing a reserve car to allow Rossi to participate in the rest of the weekend and is considering calling on a substitute driver in case of withdrawal. Callum Ilott and Linus Lundqvist are mentioned. The accident deeply affected the paddock only two days after Rossi narrowly missed out on the fight for pole position.
O’Ward powerless
O’Ward, who had almost no time to react when Rossi’s car came back into the ideal racing line, described a totally uncontrollable moment.
“I saw Rossi spin out and it is extremely difficult to stop these cars, especially in the middle of a corner when you slam on the brakes,” explained the Mexican. “I was just trying to avoid the accident, but as soon as I moved the car inside — because I knew Rossi’s car was going to bounce off the wall — I lost the rear.”
The McLaren driver also had a thought for his mechanics, now forced to completely rebuild the car.
Grosjean keeps his fingers crossed
For his part, Grosjean acknowledged that the sequence of events left almost no chance for the drivers to avoid the accident: “The most important thing is that everyone is okay. Rossi spun out, Pato turned to try to avoid him, and I also lost the car.”
The former Formula 1 driver explained that he tried to go around the accident on the left before losing control during braking: “I had to go completely left to avoid the cars on the right, it was at the moment when the G-forces were highest. I braked, slowed down, and the car went. These things happen.”
Despite the spectacular violence of the crash, the fact that Rossi can still consider starting on Sunday is already a huge relief for the entire IndyCar paddock.