Weckström Cleared To Race After Q2 Barrel-Roll Left Him Unable To Remember Breakfast

Victory Team’s Alec Weckström was passed fit to compete in Sprint Race 2 after being assessed in hospital following a qualifying crash that temporarily affected his memory, with the Finnish driver jokingly admitting he couldn’t recall his breakfast or what currency he uses.

The incident occurred during Q2 when Weckström was running fifth-fastest with a lap time of 00:42.600. On his 11th lap, the Finnish driver made a mistake, caught a wave and barrel-rolled out of contention on the Huangpu River circuit.

Medical Assessment

Following the crash, Weckström was taken to hospital for evaluation after hitting his head during the impact. He experienced temporary memory issues in the immediate aftermath.

“I was pushing hard to get into Q3,” Weckström explained. “Then, for some reason, I made a mistake, caught a wave and hit my head quite hard. I didn’t know what I had for breakfast and what currency we use. But I was given the all-clear to race.”

Medical professionals assessed the driver and cleared him to compete in the afternoon’s Sprint Race 2, where he was drawn to start from fourth position on the grid.

Team-Mate’s Relief

His Victory Team team-mate Shaun Torrente, who would go on to win Sprint Race 2, was relieved to see Weckström passed fit: “Alec took a hard hit in the morning’s qualifying and got checked out in the hospital. He is fine.”

Strong Recovery

Weckström’s clearance to race came just hours after the incident, demonstrating the effectiveness of modern safety equipment in F1H2O. Starting from fourth in Sprint Race 2, he completed the race and was classified in fourth position, one lap down on the leaders, scoring seven valuable championship points.

Weckström will start Saturday’s Grand Prix from seventh position based on his Q2 time, looking to build on his afternoon recovery with a strong performance in the main race.