British IndyCar driver killed in crash
British Formula One stars pay tribute to driver Dan Wheldon, after he died following a 15-car crash early in Sunday’s Las Vegas Indy 300.
Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button led the tributes to fellow Englishman Wheldon who was caught in a 15-vehicle pile-up on turn two of lap 11.
His car flew off the track and went over another vehicle as other cars crashed into each other and the circuit’s outside wall and catch fence.
The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner was taken to hospital in a helicopter, where he later died.
IndyCar chief executive Randy Bernard told a press conference the 33-year-old had suffered “unsurvivable injuries”.
There were just pieces of metal and car on fire. Driver Ryan Briscoe
Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 Formula One world champion, said: “This is an extremely sad day. He was an extremely talented driver.
“As a British guy, who not only went over to the States but who twice won the Indy 500, he was an inspirational guy, and someone that every racing driver looked up to with respect and admiration.”
Hamilton’s McLaren team-mate and fellow former world champion Jenson Button paid tribute on Twitter. He wrote: “Just woken up to the most horrific news.. Dan Wheldon RIP.”
Warning
Wheldon’s fellow drivers got in their cars to perform a five-lap salute in his honour after being told of his death. One of them was Scotsman Dario Franchitti, who claimed there had been warning signs of potential danger due to the number of cars in close confinement at such high speeds.
Drivers had been concerned about the high speeds on the oval after they reached nearly 225mph during practice.
“I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Australian driver Ryan Briscoe said. “The debris we all had to drive through the lap later, it looked like a war scene from Terminator or something.
“I mean, there were just pieces of metal and car on fire in the middle of the track with no car attached to it and just debris everywhere.”