British teen F4 driver loses legs in crash
British Formula Four driver Billy Monger has had his lower legs amputated after a horrific crash at the Donington Park circuit on Sunday, series organisers said on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old, who smashed at speed into the back of another car that had halted on the track, was trapped in the wreckage for more than 90 minutes before being extricated and flown to hospital.
“Due to the injuries sustained and despite every effort, Billy has sadly had both lower legs amputated,” the FIA sanctioned junior series, the first step on the singleseater ladder after karting, said in a statement.
“He has been kept in an induced coma while undergoing surgery, from which he is expected to be woken in the next few days.”
A crowd-funding site was set up for the teenager’s medical treatment, with F1 drivers expressing support on Twitter.“Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family,” said Mercedes’ triple world champion Lewis Hamilton. Double Olympic champion Mo Farah was given a legal dose of a controversial supplement before the 2014 London Marathon, but the treatment was not properly recorded, the doctor who gave him the injection has said.
Dr Robin Chakraverty, former chief medical officer at UK Athletics, told British legislators he injected Farah with 13.5 millilitres of L-carnitine prior to his London Marathon debut but had “forgotten” to record it in the necessary forms.
L-carnitine is a legal supplement but administering a quantity greater than 50ml within six hours is prohibited.
“When you are constantly on call for athletes you travel to those athletes,” Chakraverty, who now works with the England football team, told the Culture Media and Sport select committee.
Andy Murray surrendered a 4-0 lead in the decisive third set on his way to defeat at the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday as the world number one’s 2017 season hit another setback. Murray suffered a shock third-round loss to Spain’s 15th seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in more than two and a half hours.
Rafael Nadal gatecrashed Alexander Zverev’s 20th birthday party with a 6-1, 6-1 win.