Ortelli expected to be fit for Le Mans

Ortelli sustained ankle injuries when his car was launched into a horrifying series of rolls on the approach to the first chicane during the second round of the Le Mans Series.

Panis revealed that Ortelli's injuries were relatively minor given the ferocity of the crash, and he would not require surgery.

"He is okay. He doesn't need an operation," Panis told autosport.com. "He has two or three quite small fractures. But all the ligaments and everything are okay.

"He says he needs to have a plaster for two weeks, then he starts physio. Normally I think he will be ready for Le Mans pre-qualifying. He is lucky."

Initial indications had suggested that a brake problem caused Ortelli's car to spin and then become airborne, but Panis said the team now believed a wing problem was the culprit.

"We found what happened," he said. "It was the flap of the wing, the glue, I don't know what for, it came away.

"This happened when Ortelli was 70 metres before the braking area, so when he hit the brakes we saw on the data that already the downforce had disappeared.

"This spun his car and he went on to the grass. There were some bumps and this made the car take off.

"It was unbelievable. I haven't seen an accident like this for a long time."