It's never great when an F1 Grand Prix has ten drivers retire, and so it's safe to say that the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix can be classified as a chaotic one.
In front of roughly 120,000 spectators, a soaked Interlagos played host to a series of crashes, and a race that began with eight safety car laps.
The aquaplaning that ensued claimed a few notable names, including Jenson Button, whose topsy-turvy relationship with Interlagos saw him later his his remarkable F1 Championship with Brawn GP, but also be shot at whilst driving back to his hotel from qualifying.
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Ferrari's Michael Schumacher also crashed out, resulting in a non-finish that was, at the time, his first in over two years. The only crash to rival Alonso's however was Mark Webber's.
With David Coulthard heading into the pits, Webber took it upon himself to gain ground, but ended up losing control on the main straight and wrecking his to the point where it looked like a wheel-less lump. It was one of Webber's wheels that Alonso didn't see.
It was Alonso however who really stole the show, smashing into the tire and then into a tire sidewall, leaving him with a bruised left elbow, knee and thigh and being observed in room 1114 of the Saint Louis Hospital in Sao Paolo.
He said: "I am lucky to have got off so lightly. The impact was massive. It all went too quickly. From the third corner onward, I had seen the yellow flags and the sign telling me that the safety car was coming out."
"But, at that moment, there were yellow flags all around the circuit. I was careful, but I didn't expect there to be as much debris.
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"I couldn't avoid a tire in the middle of the track. I remember hurtling towards the wall. The first impact was very hard. Many people have sent me their best wishes."
With over three-quarters of the race done, the result was declared, with a young Kimi Raikkonen leading the way. The controversy on the track continued off it, however.
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Giancarlo Fisichella’s Jordan which was in second place on lap 53, had overheated due to it slowly trudging along behind a safety car, and stunningly burst into flames as it returned to the pits.
Raikkonen took the winner’s trophy home but five days later it was successfully argued that the Italian was actually ten seconds into his 56th lap when the red flag came out and therefore the result should be based on the standings after 54 laps, when Fisichella was ahead of Raikkonen by 0.9 of a second.
Fisichella was eventually rewarded the win after the result reached court, and despite missing out on the ceremony, he got his hands on the trophy two weeks later at the San Marino Grand Prix saying "I’m glad to have won at last, but I still feel annoyed that I was prevented from celebrating on the podium."
The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix was clearly an exciting one, and here's to hoping this weekends race can be just as riveting.
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