TOYOTA GAZOO Racing regrets to announce that José María López will not compete in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the second round of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
José María suffered minor damage to two vertebrae during an accident at Silverstone on 16 April. Both team and driver hoped that a period of rest would complete the natural healing process before this week’s event.
However, after consultation with FIA Medical Delegate Dr Jacques Tropenat and the team’s own doctor, it has been decided José María should not compete at Spa in order to ensure he returns fully fit at Le Mans.
José María will return to the TS050 HYBRID cockpit for a test session towards the end of the month prior to participating in the official Le Mans test on 4 June.
Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi will therefore be the only drivers in the #7 TS050 HYBRID this weekend.
José María López: “I’m extremely disappointed to miss this weekend’s race as I was really looking forward to driving the TS050 HYBRID at Spa. I feel basically fine but we all agree that we should take no chances; the priority is to be absolutely fit for Le Mans. Probably I could race if we were at a different track but a driver’s body experiences extreme forces through Eau Rouge so, after discussions with the FIA Medical Delegate and our team doctor, we decided I should not drive this weekend.”
