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SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS - Ferrari's Fernando Alonso said he felt fortunate to have escaped serious injury in the Belgian Grand Prix when he was almost beheaded by Romain Grosjean's airborne Lotus.
Alonso was left a stranded victim of a multiple collision triggered by Grosjean's aggression.
IMAGE GALLERY!
"I'm disappointed because of the points lost," he said, "but I'm also lucky that I can be in the car in five days at Monza because - looking at the images - we were turning in so you could have a problem with your hands or even your head because Grosjean's car was so close.
'I HAD BACK PAIN'
"I think we broke everything on top of the car. It was lucky in that aspect. I didn't know what happened until I saw it on TV because it was difficult to imagine how the hit could be so big or how a car could be on you so quickly. Later on TV I saw Grosjean and Hamilton touch - they lost control and then it was in front of us.
"I stayed in the car for a few seconds because I had back pain," he added. "Then there was a little bit of fire so they came with extinguishers and I decided to jump out because I could not breathe with all the smoke."
He added that the start had been eventful even before the accident. "The first thing was (Pastor) Maldonado. I was surprised because we still had the red lights and he was already P3 or P2.
"It was a big jumped start. Then the start was good... I overtook the two Saubers and was third then I started turning in and then it felt like a train coming. It was a big, big hit," he said.
Alonso's elimination meant the end of his unbroken run of points-scoring finishes in 2012 and saw his lead in the title race cut to 24 points.
Alonso was left a stranded victim of a multiple collision triggered by Grosjean's aggression.
IMAGE GALLERY!
"I'm disappointed because of the points lost," he said, "but I'm also lucky that I can be in the car in five days at Monza because - looking at the images - we were turning in so you could have a problem with your hands or even your head because Grosjean's car was so close.
'I HAD BACK PAIN'
"I think we broke everything on top of the car. It was lucky in that aspect. I didn't know what happened until I saw it on TV because it was difficult to imagine how the hit could be so big or how a car could be on you so quickly. Later on TV I saw Grosjean and Hamilton touch - they lost control and then it was in front of us.
"I stayed in the car for a few seconds because I had back pain," he added. "Then there was a little bit of fire so they came with extinguishers and I decided to jump out because I could not breathe with all the smoke."
He added that the start had been eventful even before the accident. "The first thing was (Pastor) Maldonado. I was surprised because we still had the red lights and he was already P3 or P2.
"It was a big jumped start. Then the start was good... I overtook the two Saubers and was third then I started turning in and then it felt like a train coming. It was a big, big hit," he said.
Alonso's elimination meant the end of his unbroken run of points-scoring finishes in 2012 and saw his lead in the title race cut to 24 points.