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Toro Rosso driver Alexander Albon walked away from a spectacular crash on Saturday during the final moments of the third free practice session ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Albon hit the wall on the final turn as fans sat in silence until with only his still head visible in the cockpit. He broke the silence after several seconds, making radio contact with the pits and signalling he was in good shape.
“Sorry guys,” he said over the team radio.
The British-born Thai driver lost control on the final corner, with the car starting to slide. He tried to regain control but ploughed into a wall near the pit lane, with parts of the car scattered across the track.
Shortly after the session ended the team announced that the car would not be ready in time for qualifying and is likely to start the race from the back of the grid.
Unfortunately, due to the extensive damage to the monocoque from his FP3 crash, @alex_albon will not be able to take part in qualifying for the #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/iqo02Fxklf
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRosso) April 13, 2019
The crash came in the final minutes of practice with Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes clocking the fastest time ahead of Ferrari duo Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.
Albon thumps into the wall as FP3 draws to a close
Great to see him walk away 👍
Toro Rosso will need a minor miracle to get the car ready for qualifying 😬#ChineseGP 🇨🇳 #Race1000 pic.twitter.com/guBKgi7AlH
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2019
