Briscoe returns to Spa paddock

Briscoe lost control as a result of a left rear puncture. He removed two wheels from the Toyota but managed to extricate himself from the car without help. He suffered bruising to his left arm but after a check-over at the circuit medical centre, was despatched to hospital for further precautionary examinations.

"He knocked his elbow and had a little bit of pain, which is the only reason why they took him to hospital," said Gascyone. "There was no problem, and apart from being a little shaken up as you'd expect in a 200mph accident, Ryan is fine. It was a strange place to have an accident, he actually had the accident before the corner.

"The car stood up well, it has already been rebuilt and is ready to run today [Saturday]. The suspension came off, absorbing the impact, and he's basically fine in his safety cell. He's back in the garage saying he could drive today, no problem."

Despite the failure, Gascoyne said he does not anticipate any repeats during the rest of the weekend.

"The tyre failed in a straight line, and it only failed because of the puncture he picked up at the Bus Stop at the end of the previous lap," he added. "They have gone and looked at the kerbs and made some alterations. Unfortunately it's one of the things you can never eliminate from motor racing, and cars will pick up punctures as we've seen from Ralf [Schumacher] and Fernando [Alonso] in America."