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https://scmp.com/sport/motorsport/article/2174029/sophia-floersch-crash-macau-grand-prix-surgery-going-well-teenage Motorsport
Sophia Floersch crash at Macau Grand Prix: surgery ‘going well’ for teenage Formula Three driver
- German driver gives update on her condition following operation
- The 17-year-old fractured spine after flying off track at over 275kph (171mph)
Sophia Floersch’s car flies into the air and off the track at the Macau Grand Prix. Photo: Twitter
Sophia Floersch has given an update on her condition after undergoing surgery on a spinal fracture she suffered in Sunday’s horror crash at the Macau Grand Prix.
The German teenager’s car was catapulted into the air at more than 275 kilometres per hour (171 miles per hour) at the Guia Circuit’s Lisboa bend after clipping Japanese driver Sho Tsuboi, flying over the crash barriers and into a photographers’ stand before landing back on the barrier.
“The medical team is working deliberately slowly in order to avoid risks,” the 17-year-old wrote in a tweet on Monday.
“Up to now the operation has gone well and without complications. The operation, which started today, is continuing.”
The Macau Grand Prix Organising Committee’s chief medical officer Dr Chan Wai-sin said Floersch was conscious and that her vital signs were stable when she was transferred to hospital.
Tsuboi was also taken to the emergency room at Conde S. Januario General Hospital along with two photographers and a marshal.
Sophia Floersch at the Macau Grand Prix on Friday. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Organisers later said in a statement that Tsuboi had been released from hospital after treatment for lumbar pain.
The Formula Three World Cup race was stopped for around an hour while the safety fencing was repaired, before Red Bull junior Dan Ticktum went on to seal victory.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Floersch tweeted on Sunday that she was “fine” after the crash and thanked fans for their support.
The International Motorsport Federation (FIA) has promised to investigate the incident, with some pointing to the raised kerb at the Lisboa bend as a reason for Floersch going airborne.
“After the serious incident today in Macau the FIA is mobilised to help those involved and analyse what happened,” FIA president Jean Todt tweeted.
“We will monitor the situation and make the necessary conclusions.”
Sophia Floersch was “conscious” after her horror crash. Photo: Twitter
Four motorcycle riders also crashed at the Guia Circuit last week, with three taken to hospital.
Andrew Dudgeon had surgery on a fractured spine on Friday and Raul Torras suffered a traumatic head injury after both crashed within 15 minutes of Thursday’s first practice session.
Saturday’s feature race was then ended four laps early when Ben Wylie and Phil Crowe crashed at the notorious Fisherman’s Bend.
It was the same section of the track where Daniel Hegarty crashed in last year’s motorcycle race before the British rider died from his injuries en route to hospital.