Scary: Race car lands in spectator area after high-speed crash during WEC

A massive crash during the World Endurance Championship (WEC) this week has left spectators and organisers in shock after a race car crashed into the grandstand. The incident happened during the Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. Driver Alexandre Areia's Porsche GT3 Cup 991 suffered a brake failure and crashed rearwards through catch fencing and came to a halt in the spectator area. Fortunately, there were no spectators present in the seats.

The crash recorded by one of the spectators shows another race car driving into the distance before Areia’s GT3 Cup 991 skids off the circuit at high speed. The car collided with the tyre barrier before flipping through the debris fence and making an impact on the spectator area. The crash happened during the practice session and the seats were relatively empty, avoiding what could’ve been an extremely tragic event. Areia also escaped unhurt in the entire incident. Following the incident, the Portimao grandstand was closed to the public, while the motorsport governing body, FIA has launched an investigation into the incident.

This was during a practice session for Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica, who are supporting the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend 🤯pic.twitter.com/IESsH0yRK5

— WTF1 (@wtf1official) April 14, 2023

The FIA in a statement said, “The FIA is looking into the incident that occurred during the first practice session of the Porsche Sprint Series Iberica at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. The FIA is currently in the process of gathering information and a review by the FIA Circuits Commission will follow. The FIA is working closely with the staff of the circuit and the event organisers. The grandstand will remain closed until further notice. Improving safety is a continuous process, therefore conclusions drawn from this incident, and others from around the world will be integrated into the ongoing development of motorsport safety."

The Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica is one of the support series being hosted alongside the World Endurance Championship this weekend at Portimao. The circuit was also a part of the Formula 1 calendar in 2020 and 2021 with both races won by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.