Motor racing-Crash keeps Mercedes and Venturi out of Formula E qualifying

The Mercedes and Venturi Formula E teams were kept out of qualifying for the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after Swiss driver Edoardo Mortara crashed heavily at the end of practice. Venturi said Mortara, who was runner-up in Friday's floodlit opener to Mercedes' Dutch driver Nyck de Vries, had been taken to hospital in Riyadh for precautionary checks and was conscious and talking.

The Mercedes and Venturi Formula E teams were kept out of qualifying for the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after Swiss driver Edoardo Mortara crashed heavily at the end of practice. Mortara's Venturi team said initial checks suggested brake failure was the cause of the accident, with the car plunging into the Tecpro barrier after accelerating from a practice start.

Venturi use the same powertrain as Mercedes. "Teams Mercedes-EQ and ROKiT Venturi Racing are not allowed to enter the track during the qualifying session while the investigation continues into the cause of Mortara's crash," Formula E quoted race control as saying.

Mercedes said that governing body FIA had requested more details on what happened to Mortara's car and that the cars had been held in the garage. Venturi said Mortara, who was runner-up in Friday's floodlit opener to Mercedes' Dutch driver Nyck de Vries, had been taken to hospital in Riyadh for precautionary checks and was conscious and talking.