I am absolutely devastated that 18 year old Henry Surtees lost his life in an accident in the Formula Two race at Brands Hatch yesterday.  This is the saddest time in my 35 years of motor racing and my deepest sympathies are with father John, mother Jane and their daughters Edwina and Leonora, together with other family and friends.

Henry was driving at about 120 mph between Westfield and Sheene corners on lap 9 of the race when he was struck on the head by a bouncing wheel and tyre from an accident at Westfield corner several seconds earlier.  It is clear that Henry was knocked unconscious immediately, and his car then continued straight on at Sheene Curve, hitting the tyre wall barrier.  I understand that the fatal injury occurred instantly and that the impact at Sheene had no influence on the outcome of the accident.

The race was immediately red flagged and the medical team were very quickly at the scene.  Henry was removed from the car, stabilised and taken to the medical centre, where he was prepared to be air-lifted to the Royal London Hospital, the regional trauma centre.  After evaluation and investigations in the intensive care unit, Henry was found to have suffered a major head injury that was not survivable.

Henry had joined Formula Two for this first season of the new championship and had immediately impressed with a pace, focus and maturity that belied his young age of 18 years.  He took an incredible pole position at Brno in the Czech Republic in only his second F2 event, and became the first British driver to win a place on the podium with a magnificent third place at Brands Hatch on the day before he died.  Henry made a big mark in just four events and looked very likely to be a winner in F2 in the future and maybe even F1.

Not only was Henry immensely talented but he was also a very popular member of the whole Formula Two team, making many friends amongst both the other drivers and the team members, earning enormous respect everywhere. 

John Surtees played a major part in his son’s success, carefully monitoring everything that was going on and meticulously using his huge experience mentoring Henry and contributing to the all important set up and strategy.  It was such a pleasure seeing father and son working together so effectively and it was clear that pursuing Formula Two success was the focus of Henry and John’s lives and something they enjoyed immensely.

There will of course be a detailed investigation into the accident that claimed Henry’s life and we will do everything possible to understand exactly what happened and why, and see what can be learnt from this freak accident in the continual quest to make motor racing safer.  It is perhaps ironic that John Surtees competed for many years at the highest levels of motorsport on both four wheels and two at a time when safety was given little consideration, but his son Henry should lose his life at a time when driver safety has never been greater.

The Williams F1 designed Formula Two cars comply with the FIA 2005 F1 safety standards including the fitment of wheel tethers to reduce the risk of wheels coming off in accidents.  The F2 car also includes the latest F1 standards of driver head protection with high cockpit sides and lateral deformable structures.  As with F1 however, wheel tethers cannot provide an absolute guarantee that a wheel will not come off in an accident and in a single seater race car the front of the head is inevitably exposed to the risk, however small, of being hit by another car or component.

This accident is particularly poignant for me as a father and brings into sharp and uncomfortable focus the inevitable danger of motorsport.  On Sunday morning my 18 year old son Jolyon and Henry were sat together, amidst all the F2 drivers, joking and signing autographs for fans.  In the afternoon F2 race Henry was just half a second or so behind Jolyon, trying to move forward after an earlier spin.  As they both dived down towards Sheene, the bouncing wheel just missed Jolyon, but hit Henry, who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.  By the evening, I was with John and Jane Surtees in the same intensive care unit at the London hospital that Jolyon had been in nearly two years earlier after his serious quad bike accident.

The awful tragedy has not just touched, but profoundly affected many people.  Our whole Formula Two team and those involved at Williams F1 are enormously saddened, shocked and stunned by what has happened and for Henry’s dedicated F2 mechanic Don Old it is a particularly difficult time.  When such incidents occur one relies upon the professionalism of all those involved and I am proud of the way the medical team at Brands Hatch did everything possible to save poor Henry’s life.

We all know life can be cruel and we read of young victims of tragedies every day, whether through accident, war or illness.  But nothing can prepare someone for the loss of their own child and clearly John and Jane are absolutely distraught.  We are all so desperately sorry.  At this most difficult time in the Surtees’ life we will of course do whatever we can to help as John and Jane in particular try to come to terms with the loss of Henry, someone so special and someone who had already achieved so much in his short life.

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Update on the accident involving Henry Surtees in the Formula Two race at Brands Hatch on 19 July. Henry was driving between Westfield and Sheene corner when he was struck on the head by a wheel and tyre from another car which had hit the tyre wall ahead of him just before. Henry was immediately knocked unconscious and his car failed to negotiate the following Sheene corner and collided with the barriers.

The race was red flagged and the medical team were with Henry as soon as possible. He was removed from the car, stabilised and taken to the medical centre where the medical team prepared him for transfer to the Royal London hospital, the regional trauma centre, by helicopter, where he is now being treated.

Formula Two Chief Executive, Jonathan Palmer, said “I would like to express my great sadness that Henry has been injured today. An accident like this would obviously raise high levels of concern and we await further news on Henry’s condition from the hospital. This is clearly a very worrying time for John and Jane Surtees. Our thoughts are with them and we will be providing all the support we can.”

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Andy Soucek claims victory in race two at Brands Hatch

Henry Surtees taken to hospital after lap ten incident

Andy Soucek has taken victory in this afternoon’s heavily-interrupted race two at Brands Hatch, extending his lead in the FIA Formula Two Championship.
The Spaniard made an excellent getaway from pole position, but Mikhail Aleshin made the most ground, moving up from fifth to third at the first corner. Robert Wickens maintained second in the early stages.

Behind them, a number of incidents on track and a brief rain shower on the opening lap led to a number of retirements and three separate red flag stoppages.

On lap two Kazim Vasiliauskas and Miloš Pavlović clashed heavily at Paddock Hill Bend, putting the Serbian out on the spot. Carlos Iaconelli also spun on the exit of Westfield, having risen from sixth to fourth after a good start.

The same lap Tobias Hegewald sneaked inside Henry Surtees at Druids for sixth, and the young Briton spun after getting two wheels on the grass as he tried to respond. Nicola De Marco also suffered damage as rain began to fall, and the race directors called a halt to proceedings as it threatened to turn into a wet race.

The circuit dried quickly though, and at the restart Soucek held off the initial advances of Wickens before the pair began to pull away from Aleshin in third. Jason Moore was enjoying his best run of the season in ninth, but behind him another incident occured when Sebastian Hohenthal tried to repass Jack Clarke for ninth – the Swede’s efforts causing him to run wide into the gravel at the exit of Sheene Curve. As he returned to the circuit his car was clipped by Germán Sánchez, and the latter became airborne briefly before coming to a rest in the barriers.

A safety car period followed, but the top eight all maintained position from the restart. On lap ten Jack Clarke went off at Westfield and made heavy contact with the barriers. A wheel from Clarke’s car bounced across the circuit and appeared to make contact with the car of Henry Surtees, who then went off at the following corner. The race was immediately red flagged, whilst Surtees was extricated from the car and taken to the circuit’s medical centre where he was stabilised before being transferred to hospital. No further news on his condition is currently available.

The race was briefly restarted with no change to the points paying positions, and Andy Soucek went on to take his second win of the season. "There was everything in this race," he said – "rain, incidents, yellow flags, red flags and safety car periods. I knew I had a good pace and it was all about keeping first position. It is obviously nice to take the victory and extend my championship lead, but my thoughts are also with Henry."

Robert Wickens claimed second ahead of fellow Red Bull Junior Team driver Mikhail Aleshin. "Andy drove a great race, but you cannot take these kind of races into factor," Wickens reflected. " I just want to thank my mechanic for a great job all weekend."

Yesterday’s winner Philipp Eng brought his car home in fourth, whilst Mirko Bortolotti held off Tobias Hegewald to finish fifth. Behind the trio Edoardo Piscopo finished seventh, with Jason Moore taking his first point of the season with eighth place. Julien Jousse made up seven places from his starting position to finish ninth, and Armaan Ebrahim rounded out the top ten having started from 22nd on the grid.

FIA Formula Two Championshp Race Two – Brands Hatch, UK:

1. Andy Soucek, 15 laps
2. Robert Wickens, +1.251s
3. Mikhail Aleshin, +4.763s
4. Philipp Eng, +6.858s
5. Mirko Bortolotti, +7.287s
6. Tobias Hegewald, +7.676s
7. Edoardo Piscopo, +8.443s
8. Jason Moore, +9.821s
9. Julien Jousse, +10.393s
10. Armaan Ebrahim, +10.922s                               www.formulatwo.com

Austrian becomes fifth winner in seven races

Austrian Philipp Eng has taken a brilliant maiden F2 win at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Saturday) after enduring race-long pressure from championship leader Andy Soucek.

Eng didn’t make the best of starts off the line, but Soucek was unable to capitalise on the run down to Paddock Hill Bend. Henry Surtees and Kazim Vasiliauskas were side-by-side behind, and it was the Lithuanian who grabbed third on the opening lap.

Notable incidents in the early stages included Alex Brundle running through the gravel at Druids Hairpin on lap two and Jens Höing sliding off at Paddock Hill Bend. Brundle was able to continue, whilst Höing retired after making contact with the barriers.

After ten laps, the top three were separated by less than a second as Surtees fought to stay with the front-runners. Further back, Carlos Iaconelli and Sebastian Hohenthal were fighting for eighth, and Hohenthal made a stellar move down the  inside of the Brazilian at Paddock. Unfortunately, Hohenthal’s car began to slow before stopping on the edge of the circuit between Sheene Curve and Stirling’s.

The stewards were left with little option but to deploy the safety car as Hohenthal’s stricken car was retrieved. At the restart, and on cold tyres, Vasiliauskas ran wide into the first corner. Surtees accepted the invitation, as did Robert Wickens and both drivers nipped by the Lithuanian on the run up to Druids.

Iaconelli was still in the thick of the action, this time passing Miloš Pavlović around the outside for seventh position. Then Julien Jousse ran wide coming out of Surtees Corner, allowing Iaconelli to steal another place. Things got worse for Jousse – as the Frenchman tried to attack and repass Iaconelli, he out braked himself at Paddock Hill Bend and crashed out of the race.

Back at the front, Eng was still under intense pressure from Soucek, but the Austrian hung on to take the win by just 0.494s. "It is my first victory and it feels great," said Eng. "I was nervous as Andy put me under so much pressure. He was really quick in the back part of the circuit in the fast corners, but I managed to keep my position. The key now is consistency, definitely."

Soucek extended his lead at the top of the overall standings as his rivals faltered behind. "I tried to put Philipp under pressure but he resisted well," said Soucek. "I picked up some points over my main challengers, but it is still not enough. Tomorrow Robert Wickens is starting alongside me and it won’t be easy."

Surtees kept Wickens at bay to claim his maiden podium in F2 – well deserved after the pace he has shown throughout the season. "It’s a bit of a relief really," commented Surtees. "I only had two points before this race even though we’ve had a pole and we’ve set fastest laps in practice. It’s nice to actually finish a race – in the last four I haven’t quite been so lucky."

Vasiliauskas maintained fifth, ahead of the charging Iaconelli. Pavlović and Edoardo Piscopo rounded out the points – the Italian having recovered well from a poor start. Nicola De Marco was just half a second away from a points paying position in ninth, whilst Mikhail Aleshin stormed from the back of the grid to take tenth.

There were great battles throughout the field – Jolyon Palmer and Jack Clarke traded positions before Clarke went off and out of the race at Sheene Curve. Mirko Bortolotti also went out after going off at the same corner, whilst Alex Brundle and Armaan Ebrahim tangled at Clark Curve, both drivers retiring on the spot. 

FIA Formula Two Championshp Race One – Brands Hatch, UK:

1. Philipp Eng, 28 laps
2. Andy Soucek, +0.494s
3. Henry Surtees, +1.694s
4. Robert Wickens, +3.000s
5. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +3.271s
6. Carlos Iaconelli, +7.398s
7. Milos Pavlovic, +7.942s
8. Edoardo Piscopo, +8.416s
Race two takes place at 12.45 (UK time) tomorrow.          www.formulatwo.com