Carlos Sainz is hopeful he will be cleared to race in the Russian Grand Prix after being released from hospital without injury following a scary crash in final practice.
The Toro Rosso driver was airlifted to a nearby Sochi hospital after making heavy contact with the barriers at Turn 13 in an incident that saw Practice 3 abandoned with 15 minutes remaining.
Sainz was later cleared of injury but was forced to spend Saturday night in hospital as a precaution.
The 21-year-old, who missed qualifying as result of the accident, claims he is fit enough to participate in today's race but is awaiting medical clearance from the FIA.
“My back and my neck are just a bit sore from the accident, but I'm totally ready,” said Sainz.
“Hopefully I will wake up in a good shape and maybe I can try and race – this is definitely the intention.
“Obviously we need to be cautious… I've always been conscious.
“As soon as the accident happened I tried to talk to the team on the radio, but it wasn't working and those must have been some scary moments.
“I'd like to thank everyone for their support, it's really nice to receive all your messages at a moment like this one! I hope to see you all out there.”