Formula One cars fragile as they are expensive, even the smallest mistake could have dire consequences. Back in 2010, during the practice session of the F1 Chinese GP, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi found out the hard way.
While tanking down the long back straight, things looked normal. But then, when he hit the brakes, the car inexplicably tore itself apart. An investigation revealed that the accident was the result of the right front upright failing. This caused the front-right wheel to break free. The front-left wheel followed shortly after when the left upright was suddenly forced to bear the entire load of the front end.
In response, teammate Jaime Alguersuari was held back in the pitlane for fear of a repeat.
