A tragic motorsport accident has been met with a heartfelt and generous response by Formula One stars including Jenson Button and Max Verstappen.
Seventeen-year-old Billy Monger had his lower legs amputated after plowing into the back of a fellow driver’s car at high speed during a British Formula 4 race at Donnington Park last Sunday.
The teenager was trapped in his car for 90 minutes following the crash, according to reports, before being airlifted to the nearby Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham.
Monger remains in a critical, but stable condition.
In the wake of the accident, Monger’s racing team JHR Developments has set up a donations page on the crowdfunding website JustGiving to help aid the young driver’s rehabilitation from his life-changing injuries.
At the time of writing more than 12,000 people had donated in excess of £500,000 ($640,000).
Among the scores of donors were 2009 F1 world champion Button who donated £15,000 ($19,000) as well as posting on his Instagram account urging people to give money.
“This guy needs our help so if you can please donate, I will be doing as much as I can to help this dude out…” Button wrote.
Mercedes driver and three-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton also lent his support.
“Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, @BillyMonger,” Hamilton tweeted Wednesday.
Red Bull Racing’s Verstappen donated £5,000 with the message: “My thoughts go out to you and your loved ones. Stay strong Billy!”
Monger’s cousin Vicky posted a message on her Facebook account thanking well-wishers for the outpouring of support.
Formula 4 is an open-wheel single-seater racing category for junior drivers sanctioned by motorsport’s world governing body the FIA.
The series was launched in 2014 as a way of bridging the gap between karting and the Formula 3 European Championship.