Ricardo Escotto has been withdrawn from the final round of this season's FIA Formula 3 Championship after being involved in a road traffic accident, with AIX Racing confirming he will not compete at the Madring this weekend on medical advice.
Gerrard Xie, who sits P22 in the standings with one win and 20 points, has also been ruled out of the season finale, with DAMS Lucas Oil confirming the driver's absence.
Xie, who suffered a heavy crash at Monza last weekend, in which his car was momentarily airborne, has not disclosed the nature of his injury.
Kenny Kirwan, AIX Racing's Formula 3 Team Manager, expressed the team's concern for Escotto in a statement.
"First and foremost, our thoughts are with Ricardo following his recent traffic collision," Kirwan said. "On behalf of everyone at AIX Racing, I would like to wish him a smooth and speedy recovery. His health and wellbeing are, above all else, the priority at this time."
"Unfortunately, as a result of this incident, Ricardo will not be able to participate in the upcoming Madrid Formula 1 support event, which is the final round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
"Our thoughts are firmly with him and his family as he focuses on his recovery, and we would like to thank Ricardo for his commitment and contribution to AIX Racing. We wish him all the very best for his recovery and for the next chapter of his career."
Both AIX Racing and DAMS Lucas Oil will field two cars apiece in Madrid this weekend.
Xie, meanwhile, took to Instagram to address his own withdrawal, describing the news as difficult to process.
"It was hard to find out that our season ended like this, getting everything prepared before race weekend and then being told that I have to sit out and watch," Xie wrote.
"I want to thank everyone for this year's journey, wasn't the smoothest on second half of the season, but I really enjoyed this year with the team, team-mates, and all the people involved.
"I'll still be supporting the team this weekend at Madrid, and I wish both my team and my team-mates all the best for this weekend and the future. It's been a hell of a year, love you guys. I'll be back soon."
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