Sky F1 star escapes after car bursts into flames at Goodwood

Karun Chandok was racing a Ferrari 250 GTO when a huge fireball appeared at the rear of the car

Karun Chandok’s car burst into flames at Goodwood on Saturday (Twitter - @goodwoodrevival)

Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandok escaped unharmed after his car burst into flames during a race at the Goodwood Revival event on Saturday.

The former Formula 1 driver, now a regular on Sky at grand prix weekends, was driving a Ferrari 250 GTO in the Lavant Cup at the exhibition event.

Yet as the 10^th lap of the race drew to a close, Chandok put his foot on the throttle before the rear of the car burst into flames.

The Indian driver quickly turned his car off track, onto the grass, before rapidly leaving the vehicle.

Chandok later revealed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was “lucky to get away with that with nothing more than a melted boot”, posted with a photo of his footwear.

“Coming out of Lavant to the straight – I was in second and cruising – I heard a bang and the back wheels locked up,” Chandok said, reflecting on the incident a day later.

“As I turned I saw flames, so I got right off the tracks safely to minimise oil going down and get out of the way.

“Obviously I was shaken but the marshals, the owner, were all great.

“The owner’s absolute first priority was that I was okay. He was extremely understanding.”

There is not yet any clear explanation as to why the engine blew up in the dramatic manner it did.