Magnussen 'will be fit to race at Monza'

40

Renault's Kevin Magnussen has said that he will be fit and well enough to race next weekend at Monza, despite the huge crash he suffered early in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Magnussen's car lost grip and spun as it went through Eau Rouge at high speed, slamming into the tyre barrier at Radillon where it was heavily damaged.

Despite the vicious impact which jarred his head rest loose, the 23-year-old Dane was nonetheless able to climb out of the cockpit and limp away.

Subsequent reports said that he had suffered a cut to his left ankle during the impact, but that he was otherwise okay. He was taken to local hospital accompanied by his physiotherapist, where he underwent further tests, scans and evaluation, but released a few hours later.

Magnussen took to social media on Sunday evening to post a photo of himself in a helicopter on the way to get some rest and recuperation after his jarring experience.

He also confirmed that he would be able to take part in the next race, which gets underway with practice on Friday.

"Thanks for all your messages folks! On my way home now with a sore ankle but will be ready for Monza," he said on Twitter.

Magnussen will still need to be cleared by the FIA medical delegate before he is able to take part in any further on-track action.

Renault also needs to scramble to build up a new car for Magnussen in time, as the one he was racing in Spa is beyond repair.

The crash meant that the Grand Prix was placed under a red flag to allow the remains of the Renault o be be craned away and the tyre barriers to be rebuilt.

The team is investigating the cause of the accident, which Renault team principal Fred Vasseur suggested might be to do with huge wheelspin on the Eau Rouge curves.

Thanks for all your messages folks! On my way home now with a sore ankle but will be ready for Monza

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.