F1 - Dennis: Kovalainen will be fit for Turkey

Kovy was air-lifted to hospital after a 140mph shunt at turn 9

Heikki Kovalainen should be fit to race in next month’s Turkish Grand Prix provided he gets clearance from FIA medics, Ron Dennis has said.

Kovalainen suffered a monumental accident in Sunday’s Spanish GP, when his McLaren hit the tyre barrier head-on at around 140mph on lap 22.

After being taken to the circuit medical centre by stretcher, Kovalainen was airlifted to a Barcelona hospital, where he will stay overnight under observation.

Dennis said scans showed the Finn had sustained no head injuries and no broken bones.

“I am extremely pleased to be able to report that he is safe and well,” he said in a team press release.

“Heikki was airlifted to the Hospital General de Catalunya in Sant Cugat del Valles for precautionary checks, and will remain there overnight.

“However, he has no broken bones and CT scans performed at the hospital confirm that he has no head injuries and the team is optimistic that he will make a full recovery over the next few days.

“Subject to the results of an FIA medical examination we hope that he will be able to compete in the Turkish Grand Prix.”

Kovalainen left the road when his left-front wheel suddenly deflated on turn-in to the fifth-gear Campsa right-hander.


The MP4-23 was cushioned in the tyre barrier after the horrific smash

Dennis said McLaren was not yet in a position to confirm what caused the accident, though the most likely explanation was a wheel rim failure.

“The precise cause or causes of his accident are not yet known,” he said.

“Our data shows evidence of a sudden tyre deflation shortly before the accident, but it is still too early to identify what triggered that deflation other than to say that it is likely to have been the result of a wheel rim failure.

“The impact was a relatively heavy one, but our car’s passive safety devices, designed in compliance with the FIA’s safety regulations, protected the driver in the way they were intended to do.

“Equally, I would like to pay tribute to the FIA medical team, whose work was both rapid and efficient.

“Finally, the local Spanish marshals also did an excellent job.”

Lewis Hamilton expressed his relief that his team-mate had escaped relatively unharmed.

“I am really happy to hear that Heikki is OK,” he said.

“During the race I saw a car had gone into the barriers and was told it was Heikki.

“As soon as the team knew he was OK, Ron came on the radio and told me, which was a great relief.”

ITV Sport