Melbourne - Formula One's existing safety measures saved Fernando Alonso's life in a horrific crash on Sunday at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix but his escape has added a twist to the debate about proposed improvements to cockpit protection.
The Spaniard clambered from his demolished McLaren after the high-speed crash with Mexican Esteban Gutierrez's Haas and later posted an Instagram photograph of himself holding the Melbourne Herald Sun bearing the front-page headline 'Luckiest Man Alive'.
The two-time Formula One world champion said he extricated himself so his mother would see he was safe. He went on to praise Formula One's safety improvements, saying: "I'm thankful for the safety of these cars. I'm alive thanks to the job of the last 10 to 15 years of Formula One."
