LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Argentine Formula One rookie Franco Colapinto is uncertain for Saturday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix after crashing heavily in qualifying.
The 21-year-old Williams driver was taken to the medical centre after he hit the wall during the second phase of Friday night’s session, the impact wrecking his car and scattering debris across the track.
“Franco sustained a significant impact of over 50G, requiring a medical check up,” the team said in a statement.
“An impact of this magnitude is obviously significant and severe and he will need to be evaluated again tomorrow before we will know whether he is clear to race. Franco’s health is all that matters and we are glad he is otherwise OK.”
The crash was Colapinto’s third in two race weekends and second in a row in qualifying.
The Argentine replaced dropped American Logan Sargeant at Williams from the Italian Grand Prix in September, making a strong impression with points in Azerbaijan and Austin.
Las Vegas would be the seventh Grand Prix start of his career.
Team boss James Vowles told ESPN on Thursday that the repair bill for five accidents in the last two races, with Alex Albon ruled out of the Brazilian Grand Prix after a crash in qualifying, stretched into the millions of dollars.
“Less than 10 but more than three,” he said. “It’s big numbers when you calculate where we are at the moment.
“The sustained damage we had across Mexico and Brazil, I hadn’t experienced anything like that in 25 years of working in the sport.”
Vowles said those accidents “took out five front wings, five floors, five rear wings, three gearboxes, two engines, two chassis. An amount that you just can’t believe.”
Former champions Williams are ninth in the 10-team standings.
(Writing by Alan Baldwin in London; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
