Belgian driver Laurens Vanthoor escaped injury after crashing into a barrier during the first practice session of the FIA GT World Cup at the 72nd Macau Grand Prix (MGP) yesterday noon.
The session was red-flagged shortly after the incident, which occurred as Vanthoor lost control while exiting the Mandarin Oriental Bend. Earlier, he had recorded the fastest lap time of 2 minutes 16.451 seconds before the crash.
FIA stands for Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, whose sport division is the world’s governing body for many international motorsport championships and discipline.
Speaking to the Post, Vanthoor said he had pushed slightly beyond his usual line when the accident happened. “I just tried to push a bit more and I made a small different line which had a big consequence because there were more bumps than on my normal line, and I eventually lost the grip, and this is unfortunate,” he said.
The driver said he realised the situation was getting out of hand almost instantly. “Obviously it’s high-speed corners, so there’s not much time to react,” he said, reassuring the public that he was unharmed. Looking ahead, Vanthoor said the focus now was on recovery and preparation for qualifying for the next rounds. “The plan is for the team to try and repair the car as soon as possible, which I think they will be able to. If we have the same car, I think we should be quite good. I’m confident that we can play up front.”
The second GT World Cup practice session took place later yesterday afternoon, but which Vanthoor was unable to take part in. Despite the setback, Vanthoor and his team expressed optimism about returning to the track for qualifying.
Belgian driver Laurens Vanthoor poses during yesterday’s first-day races of the 72nd Macau Grand Prix (MGP). – Photo: Rui Pastorin
