The internet is a crazy place which often throws up surprises. One such interesting clip resurfaced on the internet on Friday, which showed ‘invisible fire’ sparking panic among racing crew during the Indianapolis 500 in 1981. The video is an old one but the term ‘invisible fire’ intrigued all and the video has received close to 2 million views in a short span of time. In the video, it can be seen that the drivers are panicking while safety crew try to extinguish the ‘invisible fire’.
While the term might seem strange, ‘invisible fire’ is caused by methanol, which burns with transparent blame in bright light and no smoke. At this particular event, the fire was caused because fuel began to go out from the refueling hose as it was loosely attached to the car of Rick Mears. The pit crew initially could not understand what happened as one of them tried to removed Mears helmet. Meanwhile, another person, covered in burning fuel, called for help. Mears, meanwhile, took matters in his won hand and and doused the fire on his racing suit with an extinguisher.
Rick Mears and four others had to be sent to the hospital. The driver had to undergo plastic surgery on face. After the incident, the fuel nozzle design in Indy cars underwent massive change.
The near invisible methanol fire at the 1981 Indianapolis 500. pic.twitter.com/D486OUjXxM
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talking about motorsports, with world champion Max Verstappen and Red Bull utterly dominating Formula One yet again, there is a distinct lack of tension ahead of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.
So it is perhaps fortunate that the South Florida venue will provide some glitz and glamour to distract from a season that, with Verstappen having bagged four out of five races, already looks like another procession for the winner of the last three championships.
The first two years of the Miami race, held around Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, attracted scores of celebrities from the world of music, film and sport.
Hailed as proof that F1 had finally cracked the American market, that buzz around the race as a place to be seen hasn’t dissipated, with tabloid newspaper reports suggesting that pop star Taylor Swift and her American footballer boyfriend Travis Kelce are planning to attend this year.
Swift got as near as anyone could get to overshadowing the NFL’s Super Bowl last year and she would certainly change the subject in the paddock from the increasing chatter about driver’s contracts.
The “transfer market” for F1 drivers has opened early this year, with seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton announcing in February that he would be switching to Ferrari next year.
Inevitably that has prompted speculation over Verstappen’s future and a possible switch to Mercedes in the wake of the internal troubles at Red Bull.
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