McNish shunt halts qualifying

The Scot got out of shape on the exit of the fast, sweeping corner, and as he applied opposite lock to get the Toyota back under control it snapped viciously sideways before smashing backwards into the Armco. The TF102 actually smashed through the barrier and its rear was completely destroyed, but thankfully McNish was able to extract himself from the car and limp away from the wreck.

The Scot was takem to the track's medical centre where he was examined by Sir Professor Sid Watkins. "He's pretty good," said Watkins. "He's got a sore knee and banged his head a bit. He said it was a big one. He'll be examined in the morning to see if he's fit to race, but my feeling is that he will be."

There are 24 minutes and 30 seconds of the session remaining, which will restart when the barrier has been repaired successfully.