Zhou Guanyu has been given the green light to race at the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend after an examination from FIA doctors.
The Chinese racer came off worst in a multi-car pile-up at the first corner of last Sunday's race at Silverstone. Replays showed Pierre Gasly had made contact with George Russell 's car, and the spinning Mercedes slammed into Zhou – sending his car airborne.
It landed upside down and scraped along the track, sending sparks flying, before skidding through the gravel trap towards the crash barrier. But the car flipped right over the tyres and instead came to rest in a narrow gap between the barrier and the catch fencing protecting the crowd.
After a wait of several minutes to extract Zhou from the wreck of his car, Alfa Romeo confirmed that he was awake and had not sustained any obvious serious damage.. "Following a crash at the start of the British Grand Prix, Zhou Guanyu is conscious and now at the circuit's medical centre to undergo evaluation," the team said.
Zhou later told fans himself that he was fine, and expressed his desire to get back on track at the earliest opportunity. That will be this weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, the first of three more races between now and the summer break.
FIA medics have now examined the Alfa Romeo man, and given him the all-clear to race at the Red Bull Ring. "Finished the final medical check, all good to go!" he wrote on social media. "Thanks to all of the people who supported me during this time, means the world."
Earlier, Zhou had thanked his lucky stars for the halo safety device which prevented his head from making contact with the track when his car flipped. "I'm okay, all clear," he said with no small amount of relief. "Halo saved me today. Thanks everyone for your kind messages!"
The 23-year-old also expressed his gratitude to the marshals who rushed to his aid and helped to free him when trapped in the narrow gap. "Hi everyone! Thank you all for the kind messages," he tweeted. "I want to thank the marshals and the medical team at Silverstone, they were really fantastic. I'm keener than ever to get back on track, see you guys in Austria!"
