VIDEO – Big crash for Marcus Armstrong in Indianapolis

Before qualifying for the Indy 500, which will begin at 17 p.m. French time, drivers have a few minutes of practice time to fine-tune their cars' settings. While few drivers usually take part in this practice session, the different conditions this Saturday morning, particularly with a lot of wind, led to more activity than usual. Marcus Armstrong, who was engaged in a qualifying simulation, lost control of his Dallara-Honda in the first corner of the track.

So good to see a wave and a thumbs-up from Marcus Armstrong. # Indy500 pic.twitter.com/l0XTSqZPqB

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 17, 2025

The New Zealander crashed violently into the wall on the exit of the bend, before sliding into Turn 2, where he hit the safety barriers again. Although he raised his visor himself, indicating to rescuers that he was conscious, Armstrong did not recover from his crash himself. carHe was taken, sitting on a stretcher, to an ambulance that took him to the circuit's medical center. The young driver raised one of his thumbs to reassure his fans and loved ones.

While no information on his condition has been released by IndyCar at this time, his team is already hard at work on the replacement car. Even before analyzing the chassis of the #66, a replacement shell is already ready, Armstrong's team, along with that of his teammate Felix Rosenqvist, is trying to salvage as many parts as possible from the original chassis to put them on the second one. If the New Zealander is cleared to drive, he should be able to attempt a qualifying run tonight, in an attempt to get into the top 30 on the grid and avoid the last-chance qualifying this Sunday. If he is not cleared to take the wheel right away, Meyer Shank could choose to call on Tony Kanaan. The biggest obstacle to his presence in qualifying would be the fact that he is Team Principal of Arrow McLaren, a Chevrolet stable, while MSR uses Honda engines…

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