P1 Motorsport's Walter Grubmuller has been diagnosed with a back injury that is set to rule him out of the next Formula Renault 3.5 round at the Hungaroring. The Austrian is a major doubt for the July 2-3 event after sustaining the injury in a qualifying crash at the Nurburgring last Sunday.
The 22-year-old Austrian hit the back of a car that had missed the Veedol chicane and rejoined in his path. The P1 machine was launched into the air and suffered a heavy impact on landing. A scan revealed that he had fractured his fourth vertebra in the accident, and while the recovery time for such an injury is unknown, a team statement said that it is likely to be a minimum of eight weeks before Grubmuller can return to the cockpit.
Team founder Roly Vincini said: "I wasn't in Germany, but it was a very heavy landing as it split the bottom of the car. I understand that Walter will be OK. He returned to Vienna after the race. I need to check with Walter to find out the latest, but at the moment it looks like he will miss Hungary."