Fittipaldi stable after surgery following Spa crash

Pietro Fittipaldi has undergone successful leg surgery following his high-speed crash during qualifying for WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on Friday.

Fittipaldi went off at Raidillon during his qualifying hot lap, going straight into the wall at speed behind the wheel of his DragonSpeed BR Engineering BR1 LMP1 car.

The crash resulted in a lengthy red flag as medical staff tended to Fittipaldi, with the FIA confirming later in the day that the driver had broken his legs in the crash, but that his injuries were not life-threatening.

In an update issued on Saturday morning ahead of the race, it was confirmed that Fittipaldi had undergone successful surgery to his legs yesterday.

“Pietro Fittipaldi is well and his condition is stable,” the statement reads.

“He was operated on last night for fractures to both his legs, and the operation went well. He remains under observation at the Centre Hospitalier de la Citadelle de Liege.

“The left leg, which suffered a complex fracture, has been satisfactorily operated upon. Pietro was completely conscious on exiting the Operating Suite and was able to describe what happened to him.

“At 10:30 today he left intensive care. His father was with him throughout the night.

“We all wish Pietro a very quick recovery and we hope to see him again in the paddock as soon as possible.”

The DragonSpeed team will not take part in today’s race at Spa due to the severe damage caused to the car in the accident, requiring a new tub before the car can race again.

The accident will rule Fittipaldi out of his IndyCar and Super Formula duties for the foreseeable future. The Brazilian had been due to juggle the programmes alongside WEC through 2018.