David Schumacher suffered broken back after fiery DTM crash

David Schumacher, nephew of Michael, suffered a broken back after a nasty crash during the final round of the DTM season.

The 20-year-old was competing at Hockenheim when he collided with Thomas Preining, causing both cars to hit the barrier.

Schumacher then bounced back onto the track, meaning Denis Olsen had to take evasive action and crashed himself, his car burst into flames as a result but he escaped unharmed.

The race was red flagged and only resumed following a length delay with all three of the drivers unable to continue.

Schumacher’s father, Ralf, told Motorsport Magazine that his son travelled home only to go to hospital where it was discovered part of his back was broken.

“When David came home, he still complained of back pain,” said Ralf.

“We then decided to visit a hospital in Salzburg to have an MRI. It turned out that a lumbar vertebra is broken.

“According to the attending physicians, this means a break of about six weeks for David.”

#DTM – Look what happened at #Hockenheim pic.twitter.com/abAuhOl7CB

— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) October 8, 2022

The German newspaper Bild has reported that Schumacher will not need surgery following the heavy crash. Schumacher will also not miss any DTM races with the season ending in Hockenheim.

The 20-year-old finished 28th in the standings having not scored a point during the campaign.

As well as being the son of Ralf and the nephew of Michael, David Schumacher is also the cousin of current Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher.

Mick Schumacher faces curious wait to discover F1 fate

There are just two seats left unfilled for the 2023 season and one of the four drivers battling for their place is Mick Schumacher.

He currently races for Haas and has being doing so since 2021 but, as of yet, there has been no word on an extension to his contract which is set to end following the 2022 campaign.

But, it seems the question everyone is asking may soon be answered as Haas have announced they will hold a press conference ahead of the United States Grand Prix, their home race, next week.

However, the American team have been vague on specifics and have not clarified either the subject of the press conference or who will be attending it.

While a driver announcement is one possibility, another just as likely is the announcement of a new sponsor for the team with the status of COTA as a home race for Guenther Steiner’s men.

If the driver search has been completed, it seems it came down to two options in the end with Schumacher fighting Nico Hulkenberg for the seat.

Whatever happens, all eyes will be on Haas when they unveil whatever it is they have hiding up their sleeve.

Read more: Mick Schumacher has ‘home advantage’ in quest to keep Haas seat