Supercars 2024: James Courtney reflects on the inferno which engulfed his car at Melbourne’s Albert Park last year

‘No one wants to be burned alive,’ James Courtney reflects to REBECCA WILLIAMS, as he recounts last year’s harrowing pit lane blaze at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

Supercars star James Courtney has reflected on the frightening inferno which engulfed his car at last year’s Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix as he revealed the moment he “freaked out” when he realised the extent of the blaze as he frantically tried to escape the fireball.

In scary scenes at last year’s round at Albert Park, Courtney was one of two drivers who were lucky to escape unharmed after fires erupted from their Ford Mustangs.

The day after Nick Percat’s car caught on fire at the Melbourne SuperSprint, Courtney suffered the same fate in dramatic scenes which stole headlines at the F1 event.

Opening up on the moment he described as one of the scariest of his career behind the wheel ahead of this week’s return to Albert Park, Courtney said he first realised that there was an issue when he smelt smoke earlier in the lap.

Two corners later, he could see flames emerging from the car as he made the decision to nurse it back to the pits to ensure as much support as possible to put out the fire.

James Courtney's car engulfed by flames in pit lane at last year's Australian F1 Grand Prix. Picture: Supplied

By the time he had pulled up in pit lane, his then Tickford Mustang had been engulfed by flames in a cloud of black smoke.

“It definitely wasn’t my favourite time that I have ever had in a race car,” said Courtney, who now races for the Blanchard Racing Team.

“I suppose the worst part of it is, no one wants to be burned alive.

“With an accident – because it all happens so quickly – you don’t really think about it until afterwards, you are more trying to keep control of it (the car) I guess.

“But with fire … I’m not sure what would be worse being eaten by a shark or burning alive.

“It definitely wasn’t pleasant and it was probably one of the scarier times I have been in a car because it’s so uncontrollable and seeing how big it was it probably freaked me out a little bit once I stopped.

“I suppose I only realised how big the fire was when I slowed down in the pit lane …. it looked pretty wild.”

The start of the fire that engulfed Courtney’s car. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

As thick smoke engulfed the cockpit, Courtney recalled barely being able to see and the panic he felt trying to get out of the car when he got caught up in the safety netting.

“In the last little bit, I could not really see and I just remember as I came into pit lane, there was that much smoke in the there I remember thinking this is going to be my last breath so take a good one,” the 2010 Supercars champion said.

“I held my breath and then when I stopped I hit the fire bomb (activator) to set it off because that takes all the oxygen out of the air and I didn’t want to hit that when I was driving around.

James Courtney's car as he enters pit lane at last year's Australian F1 Grand Prix. Picture: Courtesy of Fox Sports

“I remember as I was getting out, because I couldn’t see, I was tangled in the net that we have beside us …. as you push the button to release the net it’s supposed to spring back or come down but because I was trying to get out I think, it wouldn’t come open so you panic a little and I just remember nearly ripping it out trying to get it open.

“My eyes were burning and my throat and nose because I think I inhaled so much of the fire extinguisher accidentally trying to get out.

“In the end, I got out and wasn’t hurt.”

The Percat and Courtney fires were among three major blazes in last year’s Supercars season with Cam Waters’ car also catching fire in Darwin. But the Waters’ blaze was found to be caused by a loose fuel fitting and unrelated to the Albert Park fires.

Fellow Ford driver Nick Percat’s car also caught fire at last year’s Australian F1 Grand Prix. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

There are claims among teams in pit lane that an incorrect fitment of fuel injectors impacted the Mustangs at the Grand Prix last year. That has now been rectified with the installation of a new fuel rail.

Courtney reflected on another of his frightening racing moments when he was reunited with former Haas team principal when he took Guenther Steiner for a hot lap at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival last weekend.

Steiner was the team boss at Jaguar Racing when Courtney was badly hurt in an F1 testing crash at Monza in 2002.

“It’s been 20 or more years since we worked together,” Courtney said.

“He spoke about that accident straight away, I didn’t think he would probably even remember it, but it was the first thing he said to me.

“It was good to catch up with him and catch up about old times.”

After finishing mid-filed in the opening two races of the Supercars season with his new team BRT, Courtney is hoping for another step forward at Albert Park.

“Coming from a one car team and expanding to two with all the new staff … it was a massive jump from them,” he said.

“We’re there to win and race and compete so we want to be fast, but being such a young team we need to focus on structures, protocols, communication and getting that stuff right.

“The car speed will come.”

Originally published as Supercars 2024: James Courtney reflects on the inferno which engulfed his car at Melbourne’s Albert Park last year