The Haas driver – son of Formula 1 legend and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher – lost control of his VF-22 coming out of Turn 11 at the lightning-fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit with just under five minutes remaining in Q2 on Saturday evening.
Schumacher’s car, travelling at around 170mph, smashed into the concrete barriers and was wrecked, with debris flying all over as it slid down the track and the session was quickly red-flagged for the second time.
The German, 23, remained in the cockpit after the huge impact, but was conscious and talking to doctors, who were quickly on the scene.
Schumacher was then taken from the car and stretchered into a waiting ambulance, which transported him to the on-site medical centre.
Haas and the FIA’s update said initial assessments showed no injuries, but Schumacher was flown to the King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital in a helicopter to undergo precautionary scans.
Schumacher will not compete on Sunday, with no replacement called up. Kevin Magnussen will be Haas’ sole representative in the race.
Schumacher has since been released from hospital, tweeting from his hotel: “Hi everyone, I just wanted to say that I’m ok. Thank you for the kind messages. The car felt great @haasf1team, we’ll come back stronger.”
Earlier in Q1, Williams driver Nicholas Latifi was ruled out of qualifying after losing the rear under braking on his Williams FW44 and hitting the barriers on the difficult banked corner at Turn 13.
Canadian Latifi was thankfully given the all-clear after a check by doctors.
On a dramatic night in Saudi Arabia, Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 for the first time since the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix as Mercedes’ early-season struggles continued. He will start tomorrow’s race 16th on the grid.
Sergio Perez eventually snatched the first pole position of his 215-race career from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Carlos Sainz third and reigning world champion Max Verstappen only fourth in the other Red Bull.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is going ahead as planned this weekend after extensive talks following Friday’s attack on a nearby oil storage facility.