Haas driver Mick Schumacher suffered a horrific high-speed crash during the second period of Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.
An ambulance rushed to the scene after the German span and suffered a heavy collision with barricades on either side of the track in the first sector. It has led to red flags, with qualifying yet to resume.
Q2 has been paused after Schumacher's worrying crash on Turn 12, which even led to him splitting his car in two. Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft suggested the 23-year-old was driving at approximately 170mph and going downhill at the time of the impact.
Minutes later, Croft revealed he had heard that Schumacher was 'conscious and talking to doctors' whilst still in the cockpit. He was then carefully extracted from his car and put in an ambulance before the vehicle left the track on its way to a hospital.
After Schumacher's car was lifted from the track and the driver himself was taken to hospital, Haas took to social media to provide an update on his situation. They tweeted: "We've heard that Mick is conscious, out of the car and currently on his way to the medical centre."
Former world champion Jenson Button declared the incident was 'horrible' as Q2 qualifying faces a significant delay in Jeddah. However, the Brit explained that the disturbing amount of damage to the car is a good sign because it is credible evidence that it did its job to protect Schumacher from serious injuries.
The 2022 cars have been designed to absorb around 15% more energy in the case of a crash.
In an update on his condition, Haas said Schumacher 'appears physically fine and has spoken to his mum'. The team said he is likely being taken to hospital for a scan as a precaution.
Schumacher had progressed to Q1 for the second consecutive race as Haas continued to be in the midfield mix. The red flag was brought out a first time for a crash for Williams' Nicholas Latifi in Q1.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 for the first time since the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix after being bumped out by Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, and the seven-time world champion will begin Sunday's race in 16th.
