Thanks to the cockpit protection bar Halo, Nyck de Vries can already laugh again after the accident at the first Formula E race in Seoul: As for the mass collision
At the first race of the 2022 Formula E World Championship in Seoul, the Halo once again saved the day. Thanks to the cockpit protection, Mercedes driver Nyck de Vries was not injured in the mass collision on the first lap, even though he slid under Sebastien Buemi’s (Nissan-e-dams) car, which was then lying on top of his car.
“Thank God we have halo although I think it looked worse than it was,” joked the 1.67 metre tall Dutchman. “Luckily we have it and that saved me. It’s good that we can laugh about it and not cry.”
However, the halo also ensured that de Vries was initially trapped in his cockpit. Only after Buemi’s car had been recovered after long minutes was the 2021 Formula E World Champion able to get out.
On a rain-soaked track, no fewer than eight of the 22 drivers had slid into the track barrier at turn 21 on the first lap of Saturday’s race. Buemi’s car, which was jacked up on de Vries’ Mercedes, was a spectacular sight, but according to de Vreis, the accident did not appear to be very dramatic from the cockpit point of view.
Great to see all seven drivers walk away unscathed from this incident at the start of the race.
Round 15 is currently under red flag conditions as the cars are recovered from the track.
2022 Hana Bank SeoulEPrix pic.twitter.com/ce7ODepDiS
– ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) August 13, 2022
“Actually, it was quite slow. If you look at the video, it almost looks like it was in slow motion,” he said. Asked about the cause of the pile-up, de Vries says: “Difficult conditions, very poor visibility. And you know how it is: you see so little that when you’re braking you’re guided by the cars around you.”
But De Vries does not want to shift the blame onto his rivals. Choosing the right braking point was his personal responsibility, the Mercedes driver said. “I think everyone was surprised by it, quite simply. “
“If you go slightly to the outside [at turn 20], there is just zero grip and you hit that concrete surface with a gully. And that’s enough. I think everyone was just a bit too late on the brakes and that was the end of our race, unfortunately,” said the Dutchman, summing up the accident.