Ouch!

As is so often the case at Montreal, Sunday’s Canadian grand prix was … eventful, to say the least.

I won’t spend lots of time here eulogising Lewis Hamilton, as others have already done so more eloquently than I possibly could. But suffice to say there is no question that here we have an extraordinary talent. In terms of making such an immediate impact on the sport, we have not seen anything like this since we first saw a young German driver making his debut for Jordan at Spa in 1991. That driver – do I really need to name him? – did alright for himself, to put it mildly.

What I will say is this. Montreal has always had a reputation for being a car-breaker. In the case of BMW’s Robert Kubica on Sunday, literally so. You will have seen the footage of the crash: Kubica clips the rear of Jarno Trulli’s Toyota at around 180mph, launching his own car into the air and into the barrier beside the track. From there on, he is a passenger on the most sickening of rollercoaster rides as the car flips, bounces upside-down across the track, before finally crashing – airborne, and at a still-alarming speed – into the barrier on the opposite side. In the process, most of the car has disintegrated around him – as it is supposed to do in order to dissipate energy away from the driver – but, crucially, the main tub and the roll-hoop have remained largely intact. Certainly, if the roll-hoop behind the driver’s head had crumpled as the car had bounced upside-down on the track, Kubica would have instantly suffered fatal skull and spinal injuries as his head was crushed against the tarmac.

It was a salutary reminder. Despite all the safety advances which have been introduced into F1, particularly since Ayrton Senna’s death in 1994, the sport remains hugely dangerous, even if the processional nature of many races may lull us into thinking otherwise.

Even ten years ago, it is highly likely Kubica’s accident would have been a fatal one. Thirty years ago it would certainly have been.

As it was, examinations at the hospital revealed no more than a slight concussion and a sprained ankle. This from a 180mph crash which involved three huge impacts, one of them upside-down.

The best part of the story, as ever, is its ending. When he was discharged from the hospital, what does Kubica do? He drives himself away from the hospital. David Beckham may be Goldenballs, but Kubica has balls of steel.

Formula 1 drivers – indeed, competition drivers at all levels – are heroes one and all. And while I raised a glass on Sunday to Lewis Hamilton, it is Kubica I am most happy for.