Mika Häkkinen survived a horrific crash at Adelaide in 1995

Mika Häkkinen came close to death in a crash during Friday qualifying for the 1995 Australian Grand Prix at the Adelaide Street Circuit. His McLaren MP4/10 had a flat tyre, and as he braked for Brewery Bend the car spun, launched off a kerb and struck a row of tyre stacks at close to 200 kilometres per hour, then a concrete wall behind them. Without a HANS device, he was thrown forward and his head struck the steering wheel, causing a severe skull fracture, internal bleeding and a blocked airway.

Two volunteer doctors near the scene performed an emergency tracheotomy to clear his airway, and F1 medical delegate Sid Watkins performed CPR on him twice. Häkkinen was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and remained in a coma for more than a day, spending around two and a half months in hospital recovering.

Häkkinen returned to racing for the 1996 season and went on to win the world championship in 1998 and 1999.