A statement from the Formula Two championship said Surtees was struck on the head by a wheel and tyre from another car which had hit the tyre wall ahead of him. He was knocked unconscious and his car collided with the barriers. The race was red flagged while the teenager was removed from the car, stabilised and taken to the medical centre. He was transferred from there to the hospital by helicopter. A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said it had been called to the scene at 1.30pm (1230 GMT) and a man was airlifted to hospital with head injuries. Before Surtees' death was confirmed, Formula Two chief executive Jonathan Palmer expressed his "great sadness" at news of the accident, a rare occurrence these days in motor sports. "I would like to express my great sadness that Henry has been injured today. An accident like this would obviously raise high levels of concern," he said.

He said his thoughts were with Surtees' parents John and Jane, adding: "We will be providing all the support we can." Surtees secured a drive in F2 following a breakthrough year in 2008 that saw him contest the Formula Renault UK