Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Formula One Grand Prix driver Michael Schumacher, lost control of his car on March 26 while driving 170 miles per hour in a qualifying session. He smashed into a wall in a turn and was eventually airlifted to a hospital for further examination after absorbing 33 G’s in the crash.
USA Today reports Schumacher, competing in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, was conscious when the medical car arrived and, despite appearing to be physically uninjured, was taken to the circuit’s medical center for examinations before being taken to the hospital.
Live video of the race shows Schumacher losing control of his Haas car in Turn Nine and slamming against the inside barrier before rebounding back across the track and coming to a halt beyond Turn Eleven.
“Assessment at the medical center revealed no injuries, and he has been transferred to King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, for precautionary checks,” an FIA statement said.
Schumacher’s car was shattered in two by the impact, with the gearbox assembly falling off as the wreckage was lifted onto a recovery truck.
The incident forced the hour-long qualifying session to be suspended for more than fifty minutes while the car was recovered, the circuit’s barriers repaired, and the track surface cleaned.
On March 23, Schumacher said it would be the first time he had driven the car of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix track.
“The bouncing of the car might potentially be a bit worse just because of the characteristics of the track may be bumpy,” he said.
When the crash occurred, Schumacher was doing a timed lap during the qualifying session at the Jeddah Street Circuit.
Shortly after his crash and being rushed to the hospital, Schumacher gave the world a thumbs up concerning his health via Twitter.
“Hi everyone, I just wanted to say that I’m ok. Thank you for the kind messages. The car felt great @haasf1team, we’ll come back stronger,” he said.
Though Schumacher, age 23 in his second year of racing, was declared fit following precautionary scans in hospital. The Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner, decided not to attempt to repair his car in time for the March 27 race in Jeddah.
“Then you end up with not all the spare parts in Australia, and then you have a little thing [happen] in Australia, and then you cannot race when you, in theory, should be in a better position,” Steiner told The Sun. “It doesn’t make sense to me. It’s just like trying too hard to call it.”
Before the crash, Schumacher, who hails from Hurth, Germany, had finished in twelfth place at the Saudi Grand Prix on March 26, thirteenth and nineteenth places at the event on March 25, and twelfth place at the Grand Prix of Bahrain on March 19.
Schumacher ranked No. 19 in Formula One stats in 2021, and thus far, in 2022, is ranked No. 11.
“I am feeling alright,” Schumacher said after his stay in the hospital. “I think to be able to stand here with nothing basically not even sore in any way; it just shows the security and safety of these cars.”
Schumacher said he felt well enough to drive the day after the wreck, but the Hass team pulled him from the day’s events.
