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Lando Norris suffered a frightening shunt in a wet Belgian Grand Prix Formula 1 qualifying session, bringing out the red flag in the third segment.
Norris avoided major injury in the accident but McLaren has subsequently clarified that he’ll undergo checks on his elbow.
A statement from the team said Norris “was checked at the trackside medical centre and then sent to a local hospital for a precautionary x-ray of his elbow”.
Norris was thriving in the changeable Spa conditions, going quickest in both Q1 and Q2 and he headed into the pole position shoot-out as one of the favourites.
The McLaren driver was one of the first drivers to emerge onto the track in Q3 on the wet tyres, but the track was considerably wetter than it was in Q2 where intermediates were the tyre of choice.
Sebastian Vettel radioed his Aston Martin team to advise that the session should be red-flagged, while Norris reported aquaplaning.
On his first flying lap, Norris lost control of his McLaren up the Eau Rouge hill and slammed into the barriers at the top of the hill – tearing the front-right off his car and spinning into the run off on the exit of Raidillon. He would apologise to the team on the radio, saying “I let you down”.
RED FLAG: Lando Norris is into the barriers – and Q3 is halted
Lando tells McLaren over the radio that his ok #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/u1mbNytWiF
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 28, 2021
Vettel slowed his Aston Martin to check that Norris was OK but was fuming that his advice to red flag the session was ignored.
“What the f*** did I say, red flag! F***, unnecessary, is he OK?” Vettel told his team after Norris’ crash.”
Seb: You, ok buddy? 👊👍#BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #F1 @LandoNorris pic.twitter.com/9yOp0cx3aD
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 28, 2021
Max Verstappen took pole position after qualifying resumed, just narrowly beating star performer George Russell of Williams.
