Hamilton go-ahead for European GP

NUERBURGRING, Germany -- Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton will race in Sunday's European Grand Prix, his McLaren team said.

Hamilton, 22, crashed heavily in Saturday's qualifying but was cleared to race by doctors on Sunday morning. He will start the race in 10th position.

The British driver's world championship leader lost control and hurtled into a tire wall after the front right tire of his McLaren-Mercedes exploded.

Hamilton was carried from the wreck on a stretcher but it soon became clear he had escaped serious injury when he waved and gave the thumbs up.

"I'm absolutely fine and we will see later if I am able to race tomorrow," the McLaren driver said in a team statement after being taken to German military hospital for a precautionary CT scan.

"I really hope I can race," added the 22-year-old rookie.

Team boss Ron Dennis said that the terrifying 240kph shunt was caused by a wheel gun failure.

The wheel gun is used to attach the wheel to the chassis of the car and in this instance the wheel was not properly secured, causing it to blow under the pressure of a high-speed corner.

"At least it was not a car failure," Dennis continued.

The crash was the first major setback in Hamilton's dream campaign that has seen him finish on the podium in all nine races of his career so far.

Qualifying was halted for more than half an hour following the crash and when the racing resumed Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen pulled out a flying lap on his final attempt to claim pole position.

Fernando Alonso will start from second but the Spaniard admitted that it had been difficult to concentrate as he worried about the condition of his McLaren teammate Hamilton.

"I think Lewis is OK and that is the best thing to come out of this qualifying," Alonso said.

Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa was third fastest ahead of German Nick Heidfeld in a BMW Sauber who qualified fourth.

Heidfeld's Polish team-mate Robert Kubica will start fifth and share the third row with Australia's Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing.

Renault's Finn Heikki Kovalainen will start from seventh ahead of Jarno Trulli in a Toyota. E-mail to a friend