F1 Academy champion suffers huge fireball crash as team provides update on condition

Former champion Marta Garcia has avoided any major injuries after suffering a huge crash at high speed, her team has confirmed. The Spanish racer was competing in the Cup this weekend when she suffered the dramatic accident.

Garcia was leading the GT3 category, held on Saturday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - the venue of the - when the incident occurred. There was a little under and hour left of the race when she felt contact from Eliseo Donno behind her as they fought for the lead.

Her Porsche span and veered off the track and into the barrier at high speed. Such was the force of the impact that debris was sent scattering across the circuit and the back of the car burst into flames.

The race was immediately red flagged as the car came to rest in the middle of the track. It allowed medics to rush to Garcia's aid and it was confirmed afterwards that she had been taken to hospital.

Her Iron Dames team has since confirmed that Garcia, 24, has suffered no lasting damage and is "smiling" despite being kept in hospital overnight. A statement from the team read: "We are pleased to confirm that Marta Garcia is recovering well following her incident in the Michelin Le Mans Cup race.

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"After undergoing extensive medical examinations, she has been cleared of any major injuries and is already back to smiling. As a precaution, she stayed under observation overnight and will have a follow-up assessment today.

"We extend our gratitude to the trackside and hospital medical teams, as well as to all the fans for their support. Marta's health and safety remain our top priority, and we look forward to seeing her back on track soon."

Garcia is one of the leading female racers in motorsport having won the inaugural F1 Academy championship title in 2023. The all-female series was created by Formula 1 and backed by all 10 teams to help find the next woman to make it to the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport.

Her prize for winning that title was a seat in the more prestigious Formula Regional European Championship series in 2024. She has also tested in all-electric series and also made her debut with Iron Dames' GT racing outfit last year.

Her huge crash in Barcelona came on the same day as F1 Academy driver Nina Gademan suffered a big incident of her own during an in-season test in Jeddah. She too was taken to hospital as a precaution but was later discharged.

In a post on social media, Gademan wrote: "Looking back at the state of the car internally, I consider myself very lucky I didn't have any serious injuries from the crash. Unfortunately, I still experience a lot of pain right now so I will take some days off and come back stronger next week for round two."