Massa taken to hospital

The accident occurred at 9.10am, two laps after he had set the fastest time at that point, and appears to have been caused by a right-front suspension failure, although Sauber has yet to confirm this officially. Eyewitnesses report that the right-front wheel and suspension parts were detached from the chassis, although the car otherwise was not too badly damaged.

Sauber has denied reports that Massa fainted after getting out of the car by himself, but he was taken to the medical centre and then on, by helicopter, to the General Hospital of Catalunya at Sant Cugat in the outskirts of Barcelona.

The last major F1 crash at this corner befell Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer in January 2001, when a rear suspension failure caused his car to somersault through the gravel trap and land atop the tyre barrier.

Sauber has decided to cancel the rest of its testing programme for the day.

More news on Massa's condition as we get it.