Alonso pleased at F1 safety after Australian GP crash

Spanish Formula One driver Fernando Alonso on Tuesday praised the design of modern racing cars following his serious accident in the Australian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard's car went flying as he hit a rival while trying to overtake at over 300 kilometres per hour on Sunday and it seemed amazing that he was able to climb out of the wreckage afterwards, reports Xinhua.

The former world champion confirmed that despite the horrific images of his accident he was unscathed.

"My body hurts a bit: it's like I was in a giant washing machine, but I don't have any bruises or anything swollen," he said.

He said he remembered everything about the crash.

"I saw the wheel go flying and I had no control at 312 kilometres an hour and I thought 'this is going to hurt... I was worried I would hit my head as I starting spinning and when the car stopped, I tried to get out as fast as possible in case the car caught fire," he said.

Alonso said he had seen the accident various times on TV because, "they call us to see if we can learn from accidents and I had to watch it to see several times what we can do in the future."

He also praised the design of the F1 cars which saw how his driver's compartment remained intact as the rest of the car disintegrated.

"The impact tests are exceptional. Although all of the car was destroyed, the cockpit remained intact and that is very good. There are 22 drivers in F1 and we do all we can, but at the end of the day you put your life on the line," said Alonso.