Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsToro Rosso

Sainz cleared to race in Russian Grand Prix

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Carlos Sainz will race in the Russian Grand Prix after receiving medical clearance from the FIA following his heavy crash on Saturday.

The Toro Rosso driver crashed during FP3 on Saturday, with his car becoming wedged underneath Tecpro barriers at Turn 13 having gone off at high speed. The session was red flagged and Sainz - who never lost consciousness - was taken to the medical centre before being airlifted to hospital for scans.

With the scans showing Sainz to have no injuries, doctors allowed the Spaniard to be discharged from hospital on Saturday night having originally said he would be kept in overnight as a precaution.

With the FIA allowing Toro Rosso to enter the car because the chassis did not need to be changed, Sainz needed to pass medical checks on Sunday morning before he would be allowed to race. The FIA has now confirmed Sainz has been given the all clear to take the start, allowing him to line up at the back of the grid.

"In accordance with normal procedures, Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz was this morning examined by the FIA Medical Delegate and Chief Medical Officer at the Sochi Circuit Medical Centre," an FIA statement read.

"Following this examination the driver has been declared fit to race in today's Russian Grand Prix."

Having received the FIA's clearance, Toro Rosso said it is "happy to confirm" Sainz will take part in the race.

Rosberg beats Hamilton to Sochi pole

AS IT HAPPENED: Russian Grand Prix qualifying

Gallery: Carlos Sainz's crash in FP3

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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.