LANDO NORRIS was taken for an X-ray after a terrifying 180mph crash in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying.
The incident sparked a debate over whether the final run of Saturday’s session should have been delayed due to torrential rain at Spa.
The heavens opened moments before Q3 and the McLaren racer, 21, lost control at the high-speed Eau Rouge before slamming into the barriers.
It was the same location as Friday’s horror W-Series crash and Sebastian Vettel, who had already called for a red flag to allow the weather to pass, quickly shot over his team radio: “What did I say!?”
Vettel slowed next to Norris’ wreckage to check the Brit was okay and Norris was able to gingerly climb out before being taken for an X-ray on an apparent elbow injury.
Safety renovations are already planned for later this year, at a cost of £68m, but Sunday’s race is also set to take place in the wet.
Footage of the crash showed Norris lose control of his car at the peak of the bend, hit the barrier, and spin several times across the track.
Fortunately, no other cars were approaching that corner and a red flag was quickly produced.
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Vettel, 34, said afterwards: “It’s always easy to play Captain Hindsight.
“But I think we need to find a way that we listen more to the information that we have.
“Inside the garage, it’s very limited, because it’s like looking out of the window. But three kilometres that way, I have no clue what is going on.
“When I went down to Eau Rouge and came up the hill, it was a lot of water and I was calling for a red flag. I think the truth is, the session should not have started at all.
“There’s plenty of things we could have done better. I think it’s better to be safe one time too many than one time too little.
“It’s good that nothing happened, that’s the main news, but it could have been a different outcome for Lando.”
Norris officially qualified tenth having looked good for a strong finish in F1 qualifying around Spa.
But McLaren will likely have to change several parts of his car ahead of the race, which could incur a pit-lane start.
Fellow British youngster George Russell qualified his Williams in second with a star performance after the red flag, and will start between pole sitter Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in Belgium.
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
