Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsPeople

Ex-F1 driver Wilson critical after IndyCar crash

Former Minardi and Jaguar F1 driver Justin Wilson is in a coma and critical condition after an IndyCar accident at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.

Wilson - who races for Andretti Autosport this season - was hit in the head by debris from Sage Karam’s car after Karam crashed at high speed late in the race. After being struck on the helmet by what appears to be part of the nose of Karam’s car, Wilson’s car then veered to the inside of the track before coming to rest.

The British driver was airlifted to Lehigh Valley Health Network in Pennsylvania, where he is described as being “in a coma and in critical condition”.

An IndyCar statement following the incident read: “IndyCar driver Justin Wilson suffered a severe head injury during today’s event at Pocono Raceway. Wilson is currently in a come and in critical condition while undergoing further evaluation at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa.

“IndyCar sends its thoughts and prayers to Justin, his family, and Andretti Autosport during this difficult time.”

Wilson has been racing in IndyCar since 2008, securing three victories and a best championship finish of sixth place in 2013. His F1 career saw him start 16 races for Minardi and then Jaguar in 2003, scoring a single point with a best result of eighth place in the United States Grand Prix.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.