DAMS Formula 2 driver Sean Gelael was airlifted to a hospital following yesterday’s feature race in Barcelona. The Indonesian driver was released from the hospital in the morning but will likely be unable to compete in a car in the near future.
Gelael came to a stop just two turns away from the finish of yesterday’s race and required the aid of the medical team to get him from the car. He later confirmed via Instagram that he had suffered a D4 spine fracture (a T4 for those of us in America) in the middle of his back.
As per Motorsport, Gelael’s injury was the result of a 45g impact with a kerb, the raised edging of the track. While his fracture is small, he will be out of the car for at least two weeks while undergoing physical therapy.
Barcelona’s 2020 feature race was absolute madness, with all 37 laps saturated with action. A late race safety car due to Roy Nissany’s off-road excursion meant that race positions came down to the very final lap. If you’ve been watching F1 races lately wondering where all the action is, I’ll tell you: it’s in F2. Seriously. Start watching already.
Gelael has has a rough time of it in Formula 2. He’s yet to finish higher than 15th in the overall championship standings and has more retirements than points-scoring finishes to his name this season—a tough prospect for a driver in the team that won the Constructors’ Championship in 2019.
He’s expected to make a full, rapid recovery.
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