Gabriel Bortoleto has been cleared after precautionary medical checks necessitated by his monster crash at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race.
Bortoleto was trying to pass Alex Albon for 10th as he started his final lap of the Interlagos sprint.
As he closed on the Williams approaching Turn 1, it looked like Bortoleto moved out to attempt a dive inside, but he immediately lost control as he changed direction on part of the track that was still damp.
Bortoleto’s DRS appeared to still be open when he changed direction, although whether he moved before lifting and should have disengaged it himself, or he had lifted and it did not shut for some reason, is unclear.
Isack Hadjar, the car directly behind Bortoleto, clearly had his DRS flap shut well before the corner.
Bortoleto’s Sauber speared nose-first into the inside barrier then back across the track - narrowly avoiding Albon’s car - before suffering a second, more violent impact on the outside that tipped the car onto its side.
His car came to a rest in the run-off area on the outside of Turn 1 with substantial damage, although Bortoleto immediately told his team he was OK. Bortoleto had precautionary checks in the medical centre and is uninjured.
It meant both Saubers suffered big accidents in the race, as Nico Hulkenberg was one of three cars to crash on lap six through Turn 3 after hitting a damp kerb on the exit of Turn 2.
Hulkenberg was able to rejoin the race but finished at the back, only ahead of Albon - who dropped down the order on the final lap as Bortoleto’s front wing got lodged in his car.
Another driver to go to the medical centre for precautionary checks after this race was Franco Colapinto, another of the lap six victims at Turn 3, who is also OK.
Sauber and Alpine now have some time-pressured repair jobs to get the cars ready for grand prix qualifying.
