The Grand Tour presenter Richard Hammond has opened up about Freddie Flintoff’s near death experience on the set of Top Gear – admitting “sometimes it goes wrong”.
Hammond was a presenter on Top Gear from 2002 until 2015 alongside his friends James May and Jeremy Clarkson.
The trio have gone on to co-host the Amazon series The Grand Tour since 2016, continuing their passion for cars and mechanics.
When May, Hammond and Clarkson stepped down from their Top Gear positions, cricketer Freddie Flintoff was recruited and co-hosted with Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.
Back in 2022, whilst filming a segment of Top Gear, his vehicle flipped over and resulted in the star being raced to hospital for emergency treatment.
Since the accident, Top Gear has been shelved by the BBC and Flintoff has still not publicly discussed his horrifying incident – with those close to him claiming he is lucky to be alive.
Top Gear was pulled off the air after Freddie's crash
BBC
Today, Hammond gave his well wishes to Flintoff and noted that the risks come with the job – having survived two serious crashes himself.
"I feel for the guy and it sounds like a really traumatic accident and a horrible experience. I only ever wish him all the best from it," he told Times Radio.
Discussing his own close calls, he added: "I had a couple of bad ones, but accidents do happen, you know. They went through our systems and protocols very closely and we weren’t found wanting because the fact of the matter is, sometimes things do go wrong.
"It is fundamental to what we do. I don’t think [cars] appeal will ever diminish and therefore taking a well mitigated, a well-controlled risk, I think, is excusable and in the knowledge that sometimes it’s going to go wrong.
“Sometimes things do go wrong.”@RichardHammond wishes Freddy Flintoff the “very best” but says “accidents do happen” when discussing the lasting impact of his own car crash. @fifiglover | #TimesRadio pic.twitter.com/sOxGmFDKFJ
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) February 21, 2024
"In terms of corporate responsibility and responsibility on the part of those running the show and asking us to do these things is that everything is in place to mitigate the effects should things go wrong."
Back in 2006, Hammond crashed a jet-powered Vampire dragster car at the former RAF Elvington airbase near York.
His injuries were so bad that he had to be airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary for emergency treatment – with the footage of his crash being aired on the show the following year.
Hammond’s second crash came 11 years later while filming The Grand Tour and his Rimac Concept One swerved off the road and crashed down a hill – with the vehicle flipping and rolling.
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Richard discussed Freddie's 2022 crash
BBC/TIMES RADIO/TWITTER
Co-host Clarkson said of the crash: "It was the biggest crash I’ve ever seen and the most frightening but incredibly, and thankfully, Richard seems to be mostly OK."
There has been no update as to when Top Gear will continue after the BBC noted it would be off air "for the foreseeable future" and had decided "to rest the UK show."