By GMM
Heikki Kovalainen is in hospital but basically unhurt after a huge crash during the Spanish grand prix at Barcelona.
The Finn speared off Circuit de Catalunya's high speed turn nine on lap 21 with a failure of the left front wheel rim probably caused by debris, and it took trackside workers about ten minutes to free him from his McLaren that was wedged underneath the tyre barriers.
He was stretchered from the scene giving the thumbs-up despite his neck brace, and after a visit to the medical centre was taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital for checks.
But although the 26-year-old was wearing an oxygen mask as he began the airlift to hospital, the initial official reports are that Kovalainen is stable and only suffering from concussion.
The front of his MP4-23 was severely damaged in the crash, but McLaren executive Martin Whitmarsh relayed that Kovalainen is only complaining about a sore neck and elbow.
Whitmarsh also said Lewis Hamilton's teammate is unlikely to miss the forthcoming race in Turkey.
Heikki Kovalainen is in hospital but basically unhurt after a huge crash during the Spanish grand prix at Barcelona.
The Finn speared off Circuit de Catalunya's high speed turn nine on lap 21 with a failure of the left front wheel rim probably caused by debris, and it took trackside workers about ten minutes to free him from his McLaren that was wedged underneath the tyre barriers.
He was stretchered from the scene giving the thumbs-up despite his neck brace, and after a visit to the medical centre was taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital for checks.
But although the 26-year-old was wearing an oxygen mask as he began the airlift to hospital, the initial official reports are that Kovalainen is stable and only suffering from concussion.
The front of his MP4-23 was severely damaged in the crash, but McLaren executive Martin Whitmarsh relayed that Kovalainen is only complaining about a sore neck and elbow.
Whitmarsh also said Lewis Hamilton's teammate is unlikely to miss the forthcoming race in Turkey.