Australian Formula 3 driver Alex Peroni has survived a terrifying airborne crash at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
The 19-year-old clipped a raised ‘sausage’ kerb at the Parabolica bend and his Campos Racing car was flung high into the air before flipping and landing upside down on the tyre wall on Saturday.
The somersaulting car came to rest against a wire fence, narrowly missing a group of stewards.
Incredibly, the Tasmanian managed to walk away from the dramatic smash, only reporting minor back pain and was taken to the on-track medical centre for tests.
Campos Racing said in a statement on their official website that Peroni is in a “stable condition and will remain under observation”.
He is to miss race two on Sunday as a precautionary measure “to ensure the wellbeing of the driver,” the statement added.
The crash delayed the start of the final F1 practice session ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s Italian F1 Grand Prix. No other driver was involved, with the race finishing behind the safety car.
Peroni later posted on social media revealing he had suffered a fractured vertebra.
“That was a big one.. Currently recovering in hospital with a broken vertebra,” he said on Instagram.
“Not sure the recovery time but hope to be back in the car as soon as possible. Thanks everyone for the messages and support I really appreciate it.”
F1’s final practice session before qualifying was also delayed while repairs were made to the barriers and the offending kerb was removed.
Peroni’s horror incident comes exactly a week after French F2 racer Anthoine Hubert was killed in a F1 crash in Belgium.
Safety in the support series to F1 is under increased scrutiny after the events of Spa-Francorchamps.
Hubert, 22, died after his car was hit at speed by Juan Manuel Correa’s after the French driver had bounced off the barriers at Spa’s fast Raidillon corner.
American-Ecuadorian Correa is on life support and in an induced coma in a London hospital.