Billy Monger, who lost both legs in a near-fatal crash at Donington Park in 2017, has said he will never give up on his dream of racing in Formula 1, nearly ten years after the accident that almost killed him.
The then 17-year-old was placed in a coma after a head-on collision at 120MPH while competing in the Formula 4 British Championship. He was trapped inside his car for more than 60 minutes at the Derby racetrack while crews worked to extract him from the wreckage.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Monger has since broken the world record for the fastest double amputee to complete an Ironman, raised almost £5million for charity, become a published author, and forged a career as a TV presenter.
A racer's instinct
Reflecting on the crash in a rare interview, Monger recalled: "It was like any other race day, I was coming through the field and had to go off track to avoid a lap one collision. As I was come through the pack, in the rain which is such a challenge, and the next thing I knew a car had spun off. I was going at well over 100MPH."
He added: "I was blinded by two cars in front of me, it was a case of wrong place wrong time. I was placed into a coma after being airlifted to hospital. It changed everything within a blink of an eye."
Monger said that when he woke up after four days, the first thing he did was ask his father for a piece of paper and scribbled down "who won the race" in terrible handwriting. He described it as his "racer's instinct coming out in that moment".
Inspiration from Alex Zanardi
Monger said he heard about Italian racing driver Alex Zanardi, who returned to competitive racing in GT cars less than two years after losing both legs in a crash. He said that made him question if it could be possible for him.
"I don't think I will ever be able to say that I have given up on the F1 dream, however long it goes on without me racing for a number of years," he said. "It was always going to be tough to make it to the pinnacle of the sport, but you'll never hear me say I have given up on it. That's just not in my spirit."
Monger, now 27, pointed to Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who are both in their 40s, as evidence that he still has time. He said he needs to keep putting his name out there and being around the decision makers in the sport.
New YouTube series
Monger has also launched a new five-part YouTube series in which he meets four young people with disabilities, each with their own individual story and relationship with sport. The show, which started on YouTube on Wednesday, was his own idea and sees him mentor youngsters who have faced similar challenges.
"I'm a few years older than most of them, but the idea is that I can help them where I can and find that common bond," he said. "With the help of Toyota, we can give them a bit of a platform to be able to try things for the first time. Their challenges are a little different but there are so many similarities."
He added that before filming, the group had conversations about stigmas, body image, and identity, which led to "really powerful conversations".
Monger also completed the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, in 14 hours, 23 minutes, and 56 seconds, breaking the world record for a double leg amputee by over two hours and raising millions for Comic Relief. In 2021, he walked, cycled and kayaked 140 miles across England, drawing pledges of over £3million.
