Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok was fortunate to escape as flames engulfed the classic car he was driving at Goodwood.
Karun Chandhok: The F1 pundit had a lucky escape. (Image: Getty)
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok escaped unhurt from a terrifying incident at Goodwood after the classic car he was driving caught fire. The Sky Sports pundit was forced to take swift action to remove himself from the vehicle on Saturday when the car burst into flames as horrified onlookers watched the incident unfold, with Chandhok able to escape without any sustaining any injuries from the blaze.
Chandhok was racing in the Lavant Cup event at Goodwood, where classic car events are held annually, on Saturday before he faced a huge scare inside the GTO car.
Footage uploaded to social media showed the experienced racer drifting round the corner at high speed before his vehicle caught alight from underneath and within seconds, flames surrounded him on the asphalt.
Chandhok, 39, refused to panic, however, weaving to fan the flames which quickly turned to smoke and he stopped on the side of the track, rushing out of the driver’s door before sprinting off the track. The ex-Hispania and Lotus driver later confirmed he had not suffered any injuries.
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Karun Chandhok: The former F1 driver’s car burst into flames at Goodwood. (Image: Twitter/SuhailChandhok) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
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His brother Suhail posted an update on social media, expressing his relief at watching his brother get out of the car in one piece and praised his quick thinking in limiting the impact from the incident.
“Scary moment for @karunchandhok minutes ago @goodwoodrevival in the iconic GTO,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Most importantly just really glad he’s ok but I have to say that save, car control and presence of mind to quickly get it off circuit and onto the grass was IMPRESSIVE.
“We thought we were done with stressful moments as a family of a racing driver but guess that’s the nature of the beast.”
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Karun Chandhok: The F1 pundit’s boot was ‘melted’ by the flames. (Image: Twitter/@karunchandhok)
Chandhok himself posted via his official Twitter account later and admitted he was ‘lucky’ to walk away unscathed, posting an image of his melted boot to highlight the impact of the fire.
“Lucky to get away with that with nothing more than a melted boot…” he tweeted. “Something went bang and seized up the back wheels and sent me spinning. Such a shame to end a race in my dream GT car like that but happy to get out ok!”
The incident would have provided a scary reminder of Romain Grosjean’s crash in 2020 when the former Haas driver drove at 160mph into the barrier at the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020.
He escaped with severe burns and injuries to his hands after being left in the fire for 30 seconds, but Chandhok fortunately was able to make it out in good time.
