The Brazilian IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves has said he was unhurt despite being involved in a dramatic pit lane crash during Monday’s rain delayed race in Pocono.
Castroneves was hit on the head by the car of Alexander Rossi when the vehicle bounced up and over him before clipping his helmet. Rossi had been released from his pit stall into the slow lane at the same time that another driver, Charlie Kimball, was pulling into it from the fast lane. When the pair collided, Rossi’s car flew into the air and hit Castroneves.
“I just saw a car on top of me all of a sudden,” said Castroneves. “It was scary; it hit a little bit of my hand. [But] inside the car I was more protected than what it looked like.
“IndyCar have worked so hard on safety and it was proven today. I’ll take some Advil [pain relief] and I’ll be OK.”
Both Rossi and Castroneves were forced to retire from the race as a result of the incident, though Rossi would have been issued with a penalty anyway.
“I was still in the slow lane and there was a car there,” said Rossi. “It’s very unfortunate. I was concerned about Helio, so I’m glad he’s OK. I’m not in charge of releasing cars so I don’t really have a gap that needs to be had. I was sent, I knew there was a car to my right and I stayed in the slow lane as that was all I could do.”
Last year, Castroneves was involved in another terrifying crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after his car went airborne.
