Sato taken to hospital

Heidfeld, whose brakes seemed to lock up, missed Montoya by fractions of an inch as he slid backwards but slammed right into the middle of the Jordan, sending bits of both cars flying everywhere.

Marshals kept Sato’s car out of view with blue blankets as the Japanese rookie was removed from the cockpit before he was eventually taken away by a stretcher to an ambulance.

Sato was then taken to the circuit’s medical centre while Heidfeld was unhurt and was able to sit on a nearby grass bank to recover.