The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia in Shanghai was cancelled after a massive crash on the opening lap that led Francis Tjia to undergo surgery due to his injuries. It has been confirmed that the surgery has been successful.
Naquib Azlan, who started the race in pole position, slowed down, which surprised drivers behind him, leading to a multi-car crash. Azlan was struck by Tjia from behind, which then caused Tjia to spin out and crash into the wall.
The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia released a statement about Tjia’s health. It read:
“Update: Driver of Car #21 undergoes successful surgery. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia driver of Car #21 has undergone successful minor surgery at Huashan Hospital following the incident at the start of yesterday’s season-opening race in Shanghai.
“The driver is recovering well, and everyone at Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is wishing him a speedy recovery and hopes to see him back on track soon.”
The series also confirmed that Round 1 was officially abandoned due to the incident. The statement read:
“Following the on-track incident during the Round 1 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2026 season in Shanghai, the race was not resumed and Round 1 was therefore officially abandoned.
“In accordance with the Championship’s Sporting Regulations, in this situation, 50% championship points will be awarded based on the Official Qualifying classification.
“The Championship will continue with Round 2 on Sunday, 15th March 2026 as scheduled.”
Azlan, who was rear-ended by Tjia, revealed that he was fine since he escaped injury. He said:
“I’m sure most of you saw the shunt, thankfully I came away okay and safe. I heard as well from an update that the other guy, car number 21, driven by Francis [Tjia], he’s doing okay too after being checked out at the hospital, so ultimately that’s the most important part. Everyone came away from the incident safe.”
The race at Shanghai International Circuit was scheduled ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, where Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli started the race from pole position, followed by George Russell and Ferrari F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
