from Formula 1
Hamilton safe after high-speed qualifying shunt
McLarens Lewis Hamilton escaped serious injury after crashing out of the final phase of qualifying at the Nurburgring on Saturday.
Hamilton suffered a right-front wheel failure at Turn Eight, his car bouncing over the gravel trap before impacting hard with the tyre wall.
The championship leader was seen moving his legs in the cockpit immediately afterwards, and extracted himself partly from the cockpit, to a standing position within the car, before receiving medical attention at the scene. He then waved and gave a thumbs-up to fans as he was taken by stretcher to the medical centre.
McLaren team boss Ron Dennis subsequently confirmed that Hamilton sustained no serious injuries or broken bones and that, crucially, he did not lose consciousness during the crash. The Englishman has now been taken to hospital for a precautionary CT scan and will be kept under observation for a period. A decision on whether he will race is unlikely to be made until Sunday morning.
Im absolutely fine and we will see later if I am able to race tomorrow," said Hamilton. "Everybody has been looking after me really well. We know what caused the accident and Im just pleased that everything is OK and I really hope I can race tomorrow.
The cause of the accident was a problem with the airgun used on the right front wheel during the pit stop immediately prior to the incident. The wheelnut could not be fitted properly and a second gun was needed to cure the problem. However, the wheel was subsequently still able to move enough to generate sufficient damage to cause it to fail.
The qualifying session was red flagged for around 30 minutes as the damaged McLaren was recovered, and repairs were made to the conveyor belt round the tyre wall.
Assuming he does race, Hamilton will start from tenth on the grid.
