Natacha Gachnang, the fear of her life

Last Friday, while Sébastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) was betrayed by the hub carrier of its right front wheel (watch the video) during free practice for the Chinese Grand Prix of Formula 1, her cousin Natacha Gachnang was the victim of a terrible accident, a few hours later, during qualifying for the Abu Dhabi round of the GT1 World Championship (see video).

« I went from 200 km/h to 0 km/h over two meters », she explains to 24heure.ch. The Ford GT suffered from a rear brake circuit leak, ending its race against a wall, under the stands, even destabilizing the cameraman, who suffered a broken nose.

« When I tried to brake, the pedal went all the waycontinues the young woman. I pressed again, with no more success. I am told that in this second maneuver I also had to press the gas pedal. However, I did not have the impression that the car was accelerating. It's hard to say? »

Stuck in her car, Natacha Gachnang had the fright of her life. “ As I no longer felt my leg, it was quite scary. It took the rescuers about twelve minutes to get me out of there. It seemed like an eternity. Once free, I was able to move my toes. What a relief that was! » After her accident, Natacha Gachnang was airlifted to Sheikh Khalifa Hospital in Abu Dhabi, where she was operated on for a double open tibia-fibula fracture. She now wears a brace to help her bones strengthen.

For the moment, the Swiss' season is compromised but the young woman remains hopeful and wants to return to competition as quickly as possible. “ My concern now is to undertake a rehabilitation program in order to get back into a car as quickly as possible and regain confidence. My team is counting on me. Some tell me that I will be able to fly in six weeks, others that I have two or three months. In a few days, I will see things more clearly. »