Justin Wilson released from hospital
Minardi driver Justin Wilson has been released from hospital
after suffering temporary paralysis during the Malaysian Grand Prix.
source: planet-F1.com The 24-year-old Yorkshireman was stuck inside the cockpit of his Minardi for eight minutes after retiring on lap 41 of the 56 lap race. Six foot three inch Wilson trapped a nerve in his neck when his HANS (Head And Neck Safety) device became loose in the car. Apart from battling with 40 degree heat, Wilson was the only driver in the race without the benefit of power steering. "I had a scan at the hospital but there's no long-lasting damage," Wilson said after his ordeal. "I don't feel too bad now. They've given me a few pain-killing injections and I've been told to take it easy for a few days." Wilson expects to be fit in time for the Brazilian race, which has its own particular neck stresses in that it's one of the few races run in an anti-clockwise direction. Though he's had limited running this season, Justin has no previous HANS problems. "I think Jos had a similar problem in Australia. It hasn't affected me before but this is the longest time I've been in the car so far this season." "After my first stop the car had terrific front-end grip but felt loose at the back and I had to work quite hard at the wheel. The harder I worked, the more the belts began to slip off the HANS device." "Gradually they came off altogether and I started rattling around and banging my shoulders on the side of the cockpit, which was pretty painful. I tried to keep going but eventually the pain became too much and I had to stop. By the time I pitted I could hardly move because my arms and shoulders were so sore." Minardi boss Paul Stoddart was impressed with his driver's Yorkshire grit. "That was a real gladiatorial effort," he said. "No-one bar Justin will know just how much pain he was in. I didn't know he had guts like that, that's the kind of stuff champions are made of." |
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