New Zealand open-wheel speedster Richie Stanaway was involved in a terrifying crash during the third round of the Formula Renault 3.5 series at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
The 20-year-old collided with the rear of rival driver Carlos Huertas at the entry to the Les Combes series of corners, sending his Lotus flying through the air.
The accident caused significant damage to both car and driver.
“thanks for the tweets every1, I'm ok, although fractured vertebrae and need to be transfered to paris for an operation. #notgood,” Stanaway tweeted.
The Tauranga driver moved to Formula Renault this year after winning the German F3 championship last year, but has had a difficult start to the season – holding 17th position in the overall standings after five races, and has only finished one.
The next round on the Formula Renault calendar is at Germany’s Nurburgring, running from June 30-July 1.
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