Williams rookie Franco Colapinto has been declared fit to race in Saturday night’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, following the 50G impact he suffered in the second segment of qualifying which left his Williams FW46 badly damaged.
Colapinto had impressed at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit to make it into Q2 on his first ever outing at the track, as more experienced team mate Alex Albon dropped out in Q1.
But while negotiating the tight Turns 15 and 16, the Argentinian driver clipped one of the concrete barriers that line the circuit, sending his car into the wall with a force that Williams later revealed amounted to 50G.
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Colapinto – who took over the second Williams seat from American driver Logan Sargeant back at Monza in September – was taken for checks in the medical centre, with Williams then declaring hours ahead of the race that both he, and his Williams FW46, would be fit to race.
A team statement from Williams read: “Following Franco’s incident in qualifying yesterday, he has undergone a thorough follow-up evaluation from the event medical team today and has been cleared to race in this evening’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“Franco’s health is our main priority, and we are relieved that he is well enough to race following such a significant incident. We thank the medical staff for prioritising Franco’s health and wellbeing and for the excellent care he received.
“We are extremely thankful to our incredible garage team for their hard work overnight to repair Franco’s car and our fans and partners for their continued support. We have taken the opportunity to make some set-up changes during the repair and, as a result, Franco will start the race from the pitlane.
“We are looking forward to going racing under the lights tonight.”
Williams’ mechanics faced an uphill battle to prepare their cars for the Las Vegas Grand Prix following crashes for both Colapinto and Albon in Brazil, leaving them tight on spares in the build up to the Nevada race.
Qualifying Highlights: 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix