DETROIT – A violent crash in turn six of the 14-turn, 2.35-mile street course at Belle Isle in Saturday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix has left Arrow McLaren SP driver Felix Rosenqvist in a Detroit hospital for further evaluation.
Oliver Askew, who drove for Arrow McLaren SP in 2020, will take over Rosenqvist’s ride in Sunday’s second race of the Detroit doubleheader. Rosenqvist will be held overnight for advanced imaging and evaluation by the trauma and neurological teams at DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital.
Evaluation revealed no life or limb threatening injuries to the 29-year-old driver from Sweden, who is awake and alert.
Askew made 12 starts for Arrow McLaren SP as an NTT IndyCar Series, including a career-high finish of third at in race one of the Iowa 300. He will join Pato O’Ward, who finished third in Saturday’s race in Detroit.
It appears a stuck throttle or brake failure was the cause of Rosenqvist’s No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP Honda hitting the tire barrier and fence at high speed.
The sudden impact created rapid deceleration inside of the cockpit. It also severely damaged the fence and concrete barrier, causing a lengthy red flag stoppage on lap 27 of Saturday’s race.
The team conducted a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash and has eliminated driver error or any issues with the Chevrolet system and software involving the throttle system.
The sequence of events has been clearly established and the root cause identified as a singular, non-recurrent mechanical fault. The remedy has already been implemented and the team is confident that the issue is now fully resolved, according to an Arrow McLaren SP statement. The team did not indicate exactly what caused the incident.
The AMR Safety Team was diligent and methodical when they extracted the 29-year-old driver from Sweden from the cockpit. Rosenqvist was put in a neck brace to stabilize his neck and placed in the ambulance on a backboard.
“Following his crash during the race Felix Rosenqvist received an initial evaluation at the infield care center at Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix,” said IndyCar Medical Director Dr. Geoffrey Billows Saturday night. “He was then transferred to Detroit Receiving Hospital for advanced imaging and evaluation by the trauma and neurological services. Evaluation revealed no life or limb threatening injuries, he remains awake and alert, he will be observed overnight prior to discharge from the hospital.”
Rosenqvist was running in the top 10 at the time of the crash.