Webber: Airborne moment the worst

Mark Webber has said the biggest thing he was afraid of in his spectacular Valencia crash was hitting something while he was airborne

The Red Bull Racing driver was launched into a terrifying somersault after striking the back of Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus during a battle for position in the early stages of the race.

Webber's car flipped over, striking an advertising hoarding, before landing upside down and then flipping the right way up.

And although the car skidded into the barriers at high speed, Webber said his major concern during the crash was when he was up in the air.

"I was worried about bridges or things that I could hit up in the air," said Webber, who escaped with only some minor bruising from the accident. "I knew I was involved in a huge crash, and that I was just a passenger.

"But I knew there was a lot of run-off down there, so that was good. I was also happy it was a tyre wall and not the Techpro stuff because that is not as good as the tyres.

"After Singapore, what happened last year, this was a nicer cushioning hit for me. The biggest surprise was being in a Formula 1 race and having someone brake that early. But things like that happen."

Although his car landed upside down after its somersault, Webber said that the high speed nature of the crash was actually a good thing - as it ensured momentum carried him forward.

"The impact wasn't too hard. It was okay because I had a massive forward momentum, so that was good."

When asked whether anything went through his mind in such a high speed accident, he said: "Of course, yeah. It's headline stuff what goes through my head, but that's the game we're in and some days that happens."