A matter of life and death: Five infamous crashes in Formula One history

After Frenchman Jules Bianchi suffered a horrific crash in the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, the unfortunate incident has brought to light the risks and dangers that is a part of Formula One, despite the fame and glamour that it brings to the fore. Bianchi's fatal incident has now given motorsport critics to once again raise concerns over safety measures and regulations in professional motorsport.

Though only time will tell as to whether Bianchi would get fit in time and brace himself for his next stint in Formula One, the Suzuka crash has rekindled memories of many other infamous crashes that have occured over the course of Formula One history.

1) Black Day at San Marino - 1994

The legendary Ayrton Senna tragically lost his life during the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994, after crashing his Williams into a concrete wall. Senna, who was immediately rushed off and placed under intensive medical care, unfortunately had suffered a massive brain injury, which meant that he could not be saved despite the best of efforts. Senna's death was the second to have taken place in two days, as Austrian Roland Ratzenberger too had lost his life, after suffering a similar crash during race qualifying.

If Ratzenberger's death was tragic enough, then the manner in which Senna lost his life was even more shocking, as the Brazilian despite being a three time World Championship winner, surprisingly lost control over his car, and crashed full speed on the unmanned concrete barrier.

"He looked serene. I raised his eyelids and it was clear from his pupils that he had a massive brain injury. We lifted him from the cockpit and laid him on the ground. As we did, he sighed and, although I am not religious, I felt his spirit depart at that moment," said neurosurgeon Sid Watkins, who was part of the team that tried to ressuicate Senna.

Though the race carried on and was eventually won by Germany's Michael Schumacher, Senna's death cast a pall of gloom over Formula One, thus prompting implementation of a horde of car and race safety measures in coming years.

2) Carnage at Monza -1978

Before the Senna crash, Formula One saw another talented driver lose his life in a mid-track car melee, at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix in Monza. Ronnie Peterson, the immensely gifted Swede, was the unfortunate driver to be trapped in a eight car collision, which saw his Lotus catch fire, ending his life. Peterson, who sustained severe burns and leg injuries, eventually succumbed to renal failure and was declared dead the next day.

If Peterson was unlucky enough to have lost his life during the Monza fracas, another driver, Vittorio Brambilla, escaped from the wreckage despite being hit on his head by a stray wheel. Peterson's team mate, Mario Andretti, who won the race and the resulting championship had this to say - "It was so unfair to have a tragedy connected with probably what should have been the happiest day of my career. I couldn't celebrate, but also, I knew that trophy would be with me forever. And I knew also that Ronnie would have been happy for me" Peterson, who won a total of ten races throughout his eight years in Formula One, may have achieved even a lot more than that, if it were not for the unfortunate pile-up at Monza.

3) Belgian tragedy - 1982

This may be the most dramatic of all crashes to have taken place in Formula One history. Canada's Gilles Villeneuve, who was involved in a qualifying tussle with Jochen Mass at Zolden, saw his Ferrari fly mid air for almost 100 meters, before crashing onto the ground, doing a series of somersaults in the process.

The crash itself was a result of a misunderstanding between the two drivers, which saw both of them swerveing towards the right at the same time, at a track corner. Villeneuve's Ferrari hit the back of Mass' car, and the impact of the collision lead to the former being launched aerially at a speed of 200-225 km/hr, following which Villeneuve was flung out of his car at a distance of 50 meters, after the crash.

Villenueve suffered a serious neck injury and had to be kept on life support throughout the day at the track hospital, following which he was shifted into an hospital at St Raphael's. Unfortunately, the Canadian was proclaimed dead that very evening, despite being kept on emergency life support. Though Villenueve did not win a Championship title in his five year long Formula One career, still he remains one of the most revered drivers ever to have raced for the renowned Maranello outfit.

4) The Hillsborough of Formula One - 1961

If the Hillsborough tragedy claimed 96 deaths during a FA Cup football tie between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in 1989, Wolfgang Von Trips' demise in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza can be run along the same parallel, considering that it also claimed the lives of fifteen spectators in the process.

The German, who was on the cusp of winning the Formula One Championship at Italy, suffered a collision with Jim Clark's Lotus near a turning, following which his Ferrari plunged into a side barrier, and also crushed spectators in the process. Von Trips himself was flung away at a far distance, following the impact of the crash, and was proclaimed dead immediately by the on rushing medical team.

"Von Trips and I were racing along the straight away and were nearing one of the banked curves, the one on the southern end. We were about 100 metres from the beginning of the curve. Von Trips was running close to the inside of the track. I was closely following him, keeping near the outside. At one point Von Trips shifted sideways so that my front wheels collided with his back wheels. It was the fatal moment. Von Trips' car spun twice and went into the guardrail along the inside of the track. Then it bounced back, struck my own car and bounced down into the crowd," recounted Clark, who till date cannot come to terms with the death of the enigmatic German.

Though this racing disaster certainly cannot be compared to the 'Le Mans' tragedy which took place in 1955, the number of deaths involved in the incident places it amongst one of the worst ever crashes to have occured in Formula One.

5) Disaster at Crowthorne Corner - 1977

The Crowthorne Corner at the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami was scene to what may be Formula One's most unfortunate crash, which saw Welsh maverick racer Tom Pryce and 19 year old race marshall, Jansen Van Vuuren lose their lives. Renzo Zorzi, who had technical problems with his car, was being tended to by Van Vuuren and another race marshall, William Bill, on the side lines at the Crowthorne Corner, in the midst of an enterprising race.

Though the other racers managed to bypass the two marshalls, who were furiously at work on Zorzi's car, it was Pryce who had the misfortune of colliding with Van Vuuren, following which the latter was flung away at a great distance, and died immediately on the spot.

Worse, the fire extinguisher carried by Van Vuuren slammed onto Pryce's head during the collision, following which the latter lost consciousness and crashed his car, resulting in his death.

A Formula One crash is an extremely dangerous event, as drivers tread the thin line between life and death. Let's hope that Jules Bianchi recovers from his terrible accident and gets back on the Formula One track.