Judging by the above image and the video below, it seems fair to assume that Rowan Atkinson is a fan of either Ferrari or McLaren Mercedes.

The man known for his work as Mr. Bean gave us a very Mr. Bean-like reaction after watching McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton crash into the side of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa during the Indian Grand Prix yesterday.  However, Atkinson will be happy to know that McLaren and Ferrari’s other drivers, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, finished in second and third place, respectively.

Here is a look at Mr. Bean’s reaction to the crash between Hamilton and Massa.

The track is in Barcelona and the driver of the car is Lucas di Grassi, who had the following to say about the ride:

“I had to drive with only one eye open as the camera was blocking my other eye, quite tricky”

Lucas may have been able to do this with only one eye, but if you are ever required to drive a vehicle at speeds in excess of 200 km/h, I’d advice you do so with the help of two eyes, rather than one.

Hat Tip – [Reddit]

Hat Tip – [CarBuzz]

The man didn’t quite clear the hurdle like he probably intended, and as a result, you can now add him to our already long list of hurdling fails.

Here is a look at the incident.

Hat Tip – [Jalopnik]

Ahh, motorsports. Rarely do we find ourselves so often rooting for misfortune, then feeling like horrible, horrible people when it happens. Well, I’m here to eliminate the middleman. These crashes have already taken place, so you don’t need to hope for them, which means you don’t need to feel bad about them when you watch them. There may be more intense crashes out there, but I am bringing you the most violent ones I could find with video footage, as I figure a B+ crash with accompanying footage is probably better than an A crash that I’m simply describing to you. Plus, it proves that I didn’t make the whole thing up to impress you. Which in and of itself should impress you. Be impressed, dammit.

9. Grand Prix of Britain – 1973

South African Jody Scheckter spins out after a turn and essentially barricades the straightaway with his car, taking out half the field in the process. Fortunately, no one was hurt. It is fun to imagine what was going through Scheckter’s mind as he sat in the middle of the track, knowing he was going to get t-boned and possibly killed. Fun, right?

8. Grand Prix of Australia – 2002

It was Ralf Schumacher, brother of superstar Michael, who made the headlines in this race, but it wasn’t for coming in first. Rather, it was for taking out 12 cars after running into the rear of another car. Probably didn’t help him find his way out of his brother’s shadow. Thanksgivings at their house must be a bitch. What’s that? They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving? Perfect.

7. Brazillian Grand Prix – 1994

Leave it to a Dutchman to ruin for everyone else. (I have no idea what that means) But it was a Dutchman, Jan Verstappen, who, in trying to pass to catch up with teammate Michael Schumacher, ended up running into another car, and knocking out two others in the process. No fatalities, but still not great news for the four drivers who got their rides totaled.

6. Grand Prix of Italy – 1993

Surprisingly, it would appear that most of these wrecks keep the drivers and cars on the ground, despite the fact that their cars are shaped like damn airplanes. Well, this guy gets airborne. Christian Fitipaldi does a very handsome backfilip and sticks the landing in this one. Enjoy it, because lord knows he didn’t.

5. Canadian Grand Prix – 2007

Even though no other cars were involved, it’s hard to be optimistic when a Formula 1 car hits the barricade at over 200 MPH, ripping its wheels off like so many scrawny limbs. The fact that he lived is a testament to the safety precautions that F1 drivers and officials take, but that doesn’t make it any less terrifying.

4. San Marino Grand Prix – 1989

Looks like Gerard Berger zigged when he should have zagged. Or he drove into the wall when he should have turned. Whatever. He screwed up, is the big takeaway here. He hit the wall going 180 MPH and somehow emerged with only burns on his hands. What the hell? God smiles upon F1 drivers, that’s for sure.
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3. Monaco Grand Prix – 2010

You can tell this is authentically European because there is some truly horrible techno music accompanying the crashes, the worst of which appears to happen to a fellow named Barrichello at about 1:50. He gets his front two wheels ripped off, and is left in the raceway like a sitting duck. Fortunately, he emerges unscathed, but the affair makes for a few moments of anxiety while he sits there helpless.

2. British Grand Prix – 2004

Jarno Trulli gets ripped to his cars bare bones in this wreck that started with him just plain running into the wall. He seems to emerge unscathed, but sadly, the same cannot be said about that poor, poor car.
1. Brazilian Grand Prix – 2003

The driver here isn’t specified, but I believe it to be Fernando Alonso, who lost his car in the most violent vortex of destruction on this, a list of violent crashes. The car seems to lose zero speed as it crashes into the wall and spins leaving the driver in a shell of his former car in the raceway. Blink and you’ll miss it, but I’m sure it stays with the driver to this day.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has developed an image of himself that involves a life of action and adventure.  He has been pictured in the past shooting whales with a crossbow, piloting a fire fighting plane, and demonstrating his judo skills to the Japanese officials within the popular Kodokan Institute.

Now he has decided to take on a whole new challenge, as he strapped on his Russian-themed helmet and took off in a Renault F1 race car for a couple laps around this St. Petersburg track.  Looks like Putin is once again on the fast track to parliamentary success.

Hat Tip – [The Telegraph]

During the Formula One Italian Grand Prix over the weekend, the radio engineer for Team Hispania was hit by the back tire and rear wing of Sakon Yamamoto’s car as he was exiting pit row.  The injured crew member could be seen leaning over into the cockpit to repair something when suddenly Yamamoto began to speed off, sending the man tumbling across the ground.

Reports indicate that he was responsive the entire time as medics attended to him and was later taken to the hospital, but was not believed to be seriously injured.  Team Hispania was fined $20,000 over the incident.

There is a Team Hispania in Formula One?  Could have fooled me.  I guess running over a pit crew member is one way to get people to realize you exist.

Hat Tip – [Guardian]

Following an early pit stop for fresh tires on lap seven Webber dropped ten more spots to 19th, and two laps later disaster would strike.

Screaming down the fastest part of the track at 190 mph, Webber misjudged his passing maneuver and slammed into the rear of Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus.  The impact sent the nose of Webber’s Red Bull skyward, causing it to flip and slam into the trackside tire barrier.

The crash was reminiscent of Mike Conway’s Indy 500 wreck one month earlier, but unlike Conway, who sustained a leg injury, Webber was thankfully able to walk away unscathed from this scary incident.

Hat Tip – [Daily Record]

The Red Bull F1 team gave us a sneak preview of what could be, and I must admit, the handling appeared to be quite good on what would otherwise be considered a pretty unstable surface.

So what type of tires do you use on a sandy track anyways?

Hat Tip – [Jalopnik]

Fortunately, Buemi was able to walk away from this accident unscathed, but his car was not so lucky.  Apparently, it was a defect in the suspension arm which lead to the collapse of the entire right front upright.  As a result, the wheel tethers snapped, sending the tires flying off the car and on their way down the track.

All of this for a practice run at the Chinese Grand Prix.  “Practice?  This guy almost got killed and we’re talking bout practice?“  Does that line ever get old?

Hat Tip – [Jalopnik]