Ex-F1 Driver Karun Chandhok Escapes from a Fiery Ferrari 250 GTO at the Goodwood Revival: Watch Video

Karun Chandhok had a close call at the Goodwood Revival Festival, but he made it out of the fiery Ferrari 250 GTO unharmed. The car driven by the 39-year-old is seen ablaze in video footage from the incident. The next thing you know, he's driving into the grass on the side of the track and leaping out. Chandhok, an experienced driver in both Formula One and Formula E, has been officially reported as unharmed after the incident in question. His brother Suhail updated his social media followers, expressing his relief and applauding his sibling for keeping his cool amid a terrifying event. Former F1 driver Chandhok was battling his way up from sixth on the field in the Lavant Cup sponsored by Sky Cinema, a race for Ferrari GTs from 1960–1966. Chandhok was attempting to get up to the race leaders. Nevertheless, the unfortunate turn of events occurred when his silver 250 GTO had a mechanical failure, emitting a loud noise on the tenth lap.

What Went Wrong with Karun Chandhok's Ferrari?

According to a representative of the owner, the flaming spectacle was caused by an engine failure.

The representative said, "It has a hole in the engine and the onboard fire extinguisher did its job. Karun is fine, which was our first concern, let's be clear. We race knowing they break. In basic terms, it was engine failure, as does happen in racing, as these engines are ‘highly strung’. We don’t know the actual cause internally until it’s taken back and checked, but there was some internal failure, which caused a hole in the side of the sump, that let the oil out towards the exhaust which was the spectacular ‘explosion’ you saw." 

Scary moment for @karunchandhok minutes ago @goodwoodrevival in the iconic GTO

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… pic.twitter.com/vnPfK7KxGd

— Suhail Chandhok (@suhailchandhok) September 9, 2023

“The engine locking and dropping oil is what span Karun, who was uber skilled getting it off the track, as we saw, minimising the effect on the other competitors. It’s nothing unusual. No one bats an eyelid when a Formula 1 engine blows up. These cars are 50-year-old technology and occasionally one will blow up no matter how well-prepared," he added.

Karun Chandhok After the Incident

It was a frightening experience for Karun – his dream car that also happens to be an example of the most valuable Ferrari model on Earth. But he was nothing but complimentary of Goodwood’s team and grateful for the owner’s concern.

“Obviously I was shaken but the Marshals, the owner, were all great,” he continued. “The owner’s absolute first priority was that I was okay. He was extremely understanding.

“The owners deserve so much credit. They send these cars that were designed 60 years ago out racing, that are worth so much, understanding that things can go wrong and that these things happen. He told me, he wants to get the car fixed and get it back on track at Goodwood soon.”

In case you're wondering if you, too, may be able to get your hands on a GTO—hopefully one that isn't burned—these vehicles can be had for up to USD 70 million.

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