SERGIO PEREZ was fortunate to not to seriously injure himself when his Force India car landed upside down during yesterday’s Hungarian Grand Prix practice session.

Perez lost control of his Force India on the exit of turn 11 after he suffered a rear suspension failure. He slid across the track and collided with the barriers at high speed before being launched into the air.

The Mexican’s car landed upside down but fortunately the former McLaren driver reported he was “OK” before clambering out of his cockpit.

“Thumbs up, a big relief,” his Force India team tweeted.

Force India later blamed the crash on a suspension problem.

The harrowing shunt came only days after Jules Bianchi’s funeral, the Frenchman succumbing to the devastating brain injuries he suffered in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix on October 5.

Many drivers wore tributes to Bianchi, with race stickers such as “Ciao Jules” or “JB 17” on their helmets.

F1 tire supplier Pirelli tweeted: “Sarai sempre con noi” (you will always be with us) in honor of the French driver, who died at the age of 25, and was buried on Tuesday in his hometown of Nice.

Romain Grosjean, a close friend of Bianchi’s, had “JB” and “Never Forget” engraved on his helmet.