Formula 3 driver Sophia Florsch's surgery went "extremely well" and there is "no fear of paralysis", her team principal said.
Photo: AFP
Florsch, 17, fractured her spine in a high-speed crash at the Macau Grand Prix on Sunday.
Doctors used bone from her hip to repair one of her vertebrae in the surgery, which lasted nearly 10 hours.
"Everything is working and everything is in order," said Van Amersfoort Racing owner Frits van Amersfoort.
"[Paralysis] was the main fear. That's why the operation had to be done quite quickly because there was a danger it [her spinal cord] could be damaged.
"We are extremely happy that she is now recovering and that everything went extremely well. There's no fear of paralysis whatsoever."
Sophia Flörsch huge crash at Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix.
— Trevor Kum (@trevorkum) November 18, 2018
"No official updates regarding Flörsch's condition, or the state of anyone at the crash site, have been given."#SophiaFloersch #MacauGP #MacauGrandPrix #Formula3 pic.twitter.com/wG0SKVqJiz
Florsch hit the back of Jehan Daruvala's car on lap four and then launched over the inside kerb into the car of Sho Tsuboi. That impact catapulted her car over the barrier and into an area occupied by marshals and photographers.
Van Amersfoort estimated she was travelling at 276kmh.
Asked if Florsch will return to racing, he added: "I'm quite sure that Sophia will - after some time of course.
"Luckily enough winter is now beginning so she will have time to recover and I am quite sure that she will be back.
"That's what the racing blood always does - coming back because this is the sport we all love."
- BBC
