BRITISH racing driver Jack Aitken is currently in hospital following a horror smash in the Spa 24 Hour race.
Aitken, who is also the Williams F1 team’s reserve driver, was one of four drivers involved in the crash at the top of Eau Rouge.
French racing driver Anthoine Hubert was killed in almost the same spot in 2019 when he was competing in a Formula 2 race.
But thankfully for Aitken, the high-speed shunt only left him with a fractured vertebra and a broken collarbone.
Aitken tweeted from his hospital bed: “First of all, thank you to everyone who has supported me in the last 16 hours or so, from the marshalls, medical staff trackside and at the hospital, my wonderful team, fellow drivers and all of you sending messages.
“All things considered I feel fine, and quite lucky.
“I’ve broken my collarbone, and fractured vertebrae but it’s stable, fortunately.
“The aim now is to get back to the UK and start to recover as best as possible, and be back in the car soon. I’m sure with the people around me I’ll manage it just fine!
“Finally, a thank you to @lamborghinisc for building a damn strong chassis. My thoughts also go out to the marshal that lost their life yesterday at Brands Hatch.”
Porsche factory driver Kevin Estre, who is driving for Team Rutronik, was also involved in the cash.
He said: “I was behind Nick Tandy and down in Eau Rouge, and there was the Ferrari just in front of him on the normal racing line.
“I was also normal on the racing line and then suddenly I saw a lot of smoke and a lot of debris in front of me over the crest.
“It was quite a big hit, which spun me and brought me into the barrier. Nick could pass I think on the left side.
“And then there was Perera, which was just behind Aitken with the other Lamborghini, which hit him basically and brought him into me.
“So I think that’s how it happened, but I’m not sure yet.
“As I said, I couldn’t really see – we have to wait for the onboard.”
Prior to the event, Aitken revealed he’d opted to take part in the race to add another string to his bow.
He told Autosport: “This has a lot to do with broadening my skills and myself as a driver.
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“You don’t see a lot of crossover between F1 reserve drivers and GT racing, but if there’s a bit of snobbishness about it, I don’t have an issue with that.
“It is proper racing and really competitive, so I’m going to have a hard time — that’s good enough for me.
“I’m learning to drive something different and learning to work in a new way with team-mates because it’s not all about one driver.”
