Ferdinand Habsburg, great-grandson of the last Austrian emperor, broke two lumbar vertebrae during test drives for the WEC racing team Alpine.
His team confirmed to “motorsport-magazin.com” that the fractures had “no neurological effects,” meaning that the nerves survived the crash in turn seven unscathed.
The accident occurred on Wednesday followingnoon. When asked, the team did not want to describe the exact course of events; the cause is currently being investigated. The Porsche works team Penske Motorsport with Sebastian Vettel also took part in the tests.
Habsburg, who works as a Formula 1 expert for ORF, was taken to the nearby hospital in Alcaniz for an examination following the accident and was released the same evening. The next day, the 26-year-old traveled back to Austria for further examinations.
It is not yet clear whether the former DTM driver can take part in the second WEC race of the season on April 21st in Imola.
