Alpine Racing’s Jack Doohan wobbled away with the help of stewards after his car plummeted into the wall of turn 1 at Suzuka Circuit in Japan on Friday.
The 22-year-old Australian was out during free practice 2 when the wipe out took place, bringing out the red flag just four laps into the session.
The practice was paused for 20 minutes for a clean up before the last half hour of the session resumed.
F1 commentators covering the practice session indicated that Doohan may have taken the turn with the DRS open, causing the car to lose control and slam into the barricade. DRS stands for Drag Reduction System and allows the car to go faster at certain sections of the track.
“That is a huge hit at speed,” one commentator said.
The left side of Doohan’s car, include the front and rear wing were completely destroyed by the impact
It's the first big crash of the season and hopefully the last but if history has taught us anything, it's that a high speed crash in F1 is inevitable.
Last season, Kevin Magnussen triggered arguably the biggest crash of the season at Beau Rivage on Lap 1 during the Monaco GP.
Magnussen drove into a wedge up the inside of Sergio Perez's Red Bull, sending him into the barrier. All four wheels of Checo’s car were ripped off but he walked away unharmed thanks to the halo and survival cell.
Magnussen’s teammate Nico Hulkenberg was also caught up in the crash, as Perez’s spinning RB21 hit him. All three drivers were okay after the crash.