Sage Karam struggling to come to terms with Justin Wilson's crash
Sage Karam hopes being in the IndyCar paddock at Sonoma will help him come to terms with the circumstances of Justin Wilson's death following a crash at Pocono last Sunday
Wilson was fatally injured after being struck by airborne debris shed from Karam's Ganassi car when he hit the wall 20 laps from the finish.
While there has been no suggestion the rookie should shoulder any blame for the freak incident, Karam admitted he has been having difficulty coming to terms with what happened.
"It's been a tough week," said Karam who will be replaced in Ganassi's #8 entry by Sebastian Saavedra this weekend as scheduled in their part-time deals.
"I've been working with a psychologist this week, I've worked with him in the past, but he's really been there for me this week.
"It's been tough for me, but the main thing is Justin's family, and I can't imagine what they are going through.
"A lot of [the recovery] is just getting out of the house.
"For me, right now, it's the night-time that is the worst, when you are sitting there thinking about things.
"Emotionally if I were to be in a car, I'd go and do what Justin would want me to do. I'd want to go out there and be a badass.
"If I needed to I would get in a car, but right now I think having this week off is the right thing for me."
CRASH STILL A MYSTERY
Karam was in contention for the Pocono lead when the rear of his car snapped out and pitched him hard into the outside wall.
He said he has since watched video of the crash "probably 100 times", but still cannot explain it.
"The car didn't break, didn't hit the apron. I was past the bump in Turn 1. It was a late corner spin; it just went, and when it went, it went fast," he said.
While the series is yet to release any official information about Wilson's accident, evidence appears to suggest that the chain of events that led to the Briton's helmet being struck by Karam's flying nosecone was so precise as to be virtually unrepeatable.
This offers scant comfort to Karam however, and the 20-year-old hopes that he and the Wilson family can ultimately provide support to each other.
"It was a fluke thing. He was 10 or 11 cars back; it was such a freak accident," Karam said.
"Even though it was a fluke thing, at night I'm sitting there in bed, and that's when you're thinking things and you look up at the ceiling and you think 'what if'.
"There is no comfort in a situation like this. It is a tough time. I'm just hoping that his family is able to get through this with me.
"I haven't talked to [Wilson's wife] Julia yet. That's something I really want to be able to do when the time is right.
"But I have talked to [Wilson's brother] Stef - I was with Stef the night it happened.
"Me and Justin were in the same hospital. I talked to [Stefan] there and then yesterday we exchanged a few texts.
"Out of all the people that can pick me up, his family is going to be the most influential."
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