Norris taken to hospital for checkup after horrifying crash during qualifying

Lando Norris is undergoing precautionary checks in a hospital in Spa following his dramatic crash in the final segment of qualifying at Spa.

The session started under changing but predominantly wet conditions but worsened at the start of Q3.

Just after complaining on his team radio on his out lap about aquaplaning, Norris was caught out by the slippery track in Spa’s daunting Raidillon, where the McLaren slid off in the middle of the corner, hit the tyre wall on the left before rebounding onto the track.

As the heavily damaged McLaren grounded to a halt further up the hill, an oncoming Sebastian Vettel stopped near the stricken to check on Norris who gave the German a reassuring thumbs up.

“Sorry boys,” quipped Norris as he reported back to his team. “We should have had a good one there. I let you down, my bad.”

The incident logically triggered a red flag which many – including Vettel – believed should have been deployed earlier, while Norris stepped out of his stricken car holding his elbow.

The Briton was taken to Spa’s medical center for an initial assessment per F1’s mandatory requirement after a high-speed crash and was then transferred to hospital for additional checks and a precautionary X-ray of his elbow.

Although Norris was officially classified P10 in the session, should he be fit to drive, a pitlane start for Sunday’s race is most likely in order for the 21-year-old as McLaren will need to build up a new MCL35M chassis for the Briton.