Archduke Ferdinand of Habsburg-Lorraine, heir to the Imperial House of Austria as great-grandson of the Emperor Charles I of Austria, suffered a serious car accident on March 27. The young aristocrat, 26 years old, was on the tracks of Motorland, Aragon, while training for the FIA World Endurance Championship; testing his Alpine A424 LMDh.
The pilot, who in addition to being a professional pilot works as a motor sports expert on the ORF channel, was immediately transferred to the Alcañiz hospital (Teruel) after his accident, to be transferred to his native Austria in the following days.
Alpine issued a statement regarding the pilot's accident: "On the afternoon of March 27, 2024, during the A424 test session at Motorland (Aragon), the pilot Ferdinand Habsburg had an accident in turn 7. Ferdinand was taken away to the Alcañiz hospital to be examined and he was discharged in the evening.The next day he was repatriated to Austria, where he underwent new examinations.Ferdinand suffered a fracture of two lumbar vertebrae, without neurological impact.
"He is beginning his recovery, the duration of which is not yet defined. This will determine his participation in the next round of the FIA WEC in Imola. Alpine gives Ferdinand all its support and wishes him the best and fastest recovery," they say from Alpine.
From there he continues with his recovery, now out of danger, as he has confessed through a message to his followers on Instagram.
"I had an accident a week ago, which has made these last few days somewhat uncomfortable," the pilot revealed on the social network from his home in Vienna, explaining that he had suffered two vertebral fractures. Very grateful to his followers, he confirmed that for a time he will have to wear a corset as part of his recovery.
"My goal is to get into a racing car as soon as possible, so I hope to see you very, very soon," he says.
The archduke is one of the young promises of the world of motorsports, and is seen by sports experts as a very intelligent, ambitious and hard-working young man. From a very young age, he has been surrounded by the greats of the sport, thanks to the influence of his aristocratic family.
"My father always liked fast cars," he explained in an interview with Tatler, "One of his best friends is Oliver Porsche, so I drove with them when I was a kid." The young archduke started in the world of motorsports at just seven years old, becoming national karting champion in Austria at just 13.
At the age of 15, he signed for his first professional team and won FIA Formula 3, then launched his career definitively in the DTM Championship in 2019, driving a legendary Aston Martin Vantage. For years, the archduke was one of the star racers of the Belgian Audi Sport WRT Racing team. Now, he stands out in the ranks of Alpine WEC. His favorite circuits, Monaco and the Macau Grand Prix.
