Petrov feared legs were broken

Vitaly Petrov feared a broken leg after crashing out of the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday. Being lapped into the Swimming Pool Complex on his 68th lap, the Russian Renault driver collided with the Armco when avoiding a collision between Jaime Alguersuari and Lewis Hamilton, resulting in a red flag stoppage.

Unable to feel his legs after the impact, Petrov was soon transported to the Princess Grace Hospital which continues to house Sauber’s Sergio Pérez. However the 26-year-old from Vyborg was able to return to the paddock just several hours later, having suffered no more than bruising.

“I think Alguersuari started to brake because Lewis started to brake – he was trying to avoid an accident," Petrov explained in a post-race video on the Renault team website. “Alguersuari touched Lewis’ tire and went flying a little bit so – in the same situation – I braked as hard as I could, but it was too late.

“You can’t do anything in those situations. I hit the wall and then I couldn’t get out of the car, first of all because my legs were blocked and, also, I couldn’t feel them. I thought, ‘Oh, I have a problem,’ because it looked like my legs were broken, or something. So I was just waiting in the car for the people to help me get out.

“We went to the hospital and they gave me a fully body check analysis. It looks like everything is fine, so I just need two or three days’ rest and then we’ll see how it is."