On the morning of Monday, June 11, Daniel Morelli drove a BMW Canada-supplied BMW X3 from the Delta Centre Ville Hotel in downtown Montreal to the city's Sacre-Coeur Hospital, to visit the driver he manages, Robert Kubica.
But, were it not for the tireless safety work, sponsored by FIA president Max Mosley and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone (and carried out by many others, less eminent but no less worthy), that has taken place over the past few years - and especially since the tragedies of Imola 1994, when both Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were killed on track - Morelli would have been driving to the mortuary instead. Of that there can be little doubt.
Morelli walked to his driver's hospital room, to find him sitting up, fully dressed and eager to check out. Despite having driven his BMW Sauber into a solid Armco wall at 182 mph the previous day, he had sprained an ankle, which was a bit sore, but nothing more. And, as he limped briskly to the BMW X3 that Morelli had driven to the hospital that morning, he said, "Hey, Daniel, give me the keys. I'll drive." And drive he did.
![]() Robert Kubica crashes in the hairpin at Montreal © LAT |
As miracle escapes go, it is, of course, quite astounding.