Fan injured during 2023 F1 Australian GP by Kevin Magnussen debris
In a freak accident in the late stages of the 2023 Australian GP on Sunday, it was reported that a fan was injured after being hit by debris from Kevin Magnussen's car.
The Haas driver retired from the race during the final few laps after he hit the wall coming out of Turn 2 and damaged his rear tyre and tyre wall. The incident left a lot of debris on the track, which resulted in a red flag.
While watching the race from the stands, a fan found himself at the unfortunate end, as he was hit by debris, which resulted in some minor injuries. While speaking to Sunrise, as quoted by Fox Sports, he said:
“I think Kevin Magnussen came around Turn 2. I followed him with my eyes. But straight ahead of me apparently a piece of debris had flown over the fence. Lots of people around me moved, and it managed to hit me right in the arm – I had my arm up, and I had a radio piece in my ear. I’m not sure what happened really!
"Honestly I’m feeling pretty lucky. It ended up being not as serious as it could have been; the piece of debris was quite large. Standing right next to me was my fiancee, and she’s a bit shorter than me. So where it hit me in the arm, it probably would have hit her right in the head. Honestly, I’m feeling pretty lucky it wasn’t worse.”
“I didn’t even feel it, so it definitely wasn’t something that felt big in the car" - Kevin Magnussen
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, in his post-race interview, said that he didn't even realise that his rear tyre had hit the wall. He said:
“I didn’t even feel it, so it definitely wasn’t something that felt big in the car. But it was enough to crack the rim and take the tyre off. Unfortunately – we were in P12, so at the time, it didn’t look like we would be able to score points. So, not my day, and it seemed like again, the car seemed to have a decent pace, so I’m encouraged by that, and we’ll push next time."
A major incident was avoided for Kevin Magnussen, Haas and fans in the stands, as everyone got off without any serious ramifications from the accident.