Former Formula One driver Mark Webber has had a lucky escape after a high-speed crash at the World Endurance Championship‘s season-ending race in Brazil.
Webber’s Porsche slammed into a concrete barrier along the track’s final corner at the Sao Paulo event after making contact with Matteo Cressoni’s Ferrari.
The wrecked 919 Hybrid then skidded across the track and into a pit lane, before leaking oil sparked a fire in the rear.
But Webber appeared unhurt as he was taken away on a stretcher, waving and giving the crowd a thumbs-up as he was loaded into an ambulance.
“Heavy crash … Driver is OK,” Porsche tweeted after the fiery smash.
A subsequent statement on the one-time Red Bull driver’s official Facebook page confirmed he was conscious.
“After his accident in the 6 hour race in Sao Paulo, Mark is awake and alert,” a subsequent statement on his official Facebook page read.
“He has been taken to the medical centre for further checks.”
Further updates on the 38-year-old’s condition would be posted as needed, the statement said.
Cressoni was checked trackside and cleared by medical staff.
Webber had been running sixth at the time when he crashed within the final half-hour of the race.
The Australian qualified in pole position for the event and was out to secure Porsche their first win of the season.
Webber, who quit Formula One in 2013 after 12 seasons, received well-wishes from some of his former rivals after the horror crash.
“Glad to see (Webber) is ok after his shunt … That was a big one matey,” Jenson Button tweeted.
Last month, Webber had tried to recruit the McLaren star to the sports car racing garage.
The race ended behind the safety car with Porsche’s Neel Jani taking the chequered flag, while points won by Toyota allowed them to clinch the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ title.
Webber finishes equal ninth on the drivers’ rankings, alongside teammates Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley.
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