Uh, That's Not Good: Fernando Alonso's Steering Wheel Falls Off During F1 Practice

If you had to think of the worst possible thing that could happen to you while you're driving a racecar, there are a few leaders in the clubhouse.

Having the engine completely blow up would be bad times.

Having your narcolepsy flair up would be less than ideal. 

But how about having the steering wheel — the very device you use to control the car — falling off in your hands?

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That sounds like nightmare fuel, and it happened to Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso during Free Practice 2 on Friday, ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Alonso was about to round the final corner of the Bahrain International Circuit for a push lap, but as he hit the brakes, his steering wheel completely came off in his hands.

Now, Alonso is the most experienced driver in Formula 1, so I'm sure he kept his cool, but it's great that if that was going to happen, it happened under braking into a corner with a lot of run-off area.

Alonso went back to the pits after the incident so that the Aston Martin mechanics could take a look in the cockpit and see if they could figure out why that happened.

Formula 1 steering wheels — like those of a lot of racecars — have steering wheels that are designed to be taken on and off to allow the driver to enter the cockpit.

Obviously, you don't want it coming off while the car is on track, though. Seeing that happen once the car is moving is super unusual. 

Unfortunately for Alonso, this has been how this season has been going. He has yet to score a point this season through three Grand Prix and a Sprint race, and even more surprisingly, he trails his teammate Lance Stroll who already has 10 points on the year.