Natacha Gachnang has a double compound fracture of herright leg and after a successful operation she is stable andrecovering in the Sheikh Khalifa Hospital in Abu Dhabi, whereshe was airlifted from the Yas Marina Circuit.

The incident took place during the first Qualifying session, atthe end of the straight at Turn 8 of the Yas Marina Circuit,which is the fastest part of the circuit where the drivers areapproaching at over 260 km/h.

At the braking point at the end of the straight Natacha startedbraking as normal. A leak was reported in the rear brakecircuit which required Natacha to press back hard on thebrake. When putting pressure on the brake pedal Natacha'sfoot unfortunately also pressed the accelerator pedal. The front brake circuit continuedto function correctly but the combination of factors led toNatacha failing to negotiate the corner and going down theescape road, hitting the safety barriers and it is thanks to thesafety and security devices on the vehicle that Natachaavoided the worst.

The Matech Competition team would like to thank the SheikhKhalifa Hospital, the Yas Marina Circuit Medical Centre andall the medical services, the FIA, Abu Dhabi MotorsportManagement, the Yas Marina Circuit Safety Crew andMarshals and everyone who has helped and extended theirsupport to Natacha.

The team wishes Natacha a speedy recovery and look forward to her return to the cockpit.