- 14 Sep 10, 15:16#215315
Sakon's car runs over the mechanic at last weekends GP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dbuAum0 ... re=popular
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dbuAum0 ... re=popular
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Ouch! They mentioned it during the race but that's the first time I've seen it. Why was the mechanic still stood there?
The team have been fined $20,000 for unsafe pit release.
It'd be safer putting Taki Inoue in the Hispania.
The team have been fined $20,000 for unsafe pit release.
...And now the team don't have enough money to complete the rest of the season, they'll just have to sell Bruno Senna for parts!
The issue of mechanics' safety in the pit lane will be re-examined by F1 team managers after the very nasty incident at Sakon Yamamoto's pit stop.
Yamamoto was having problems with his radio during the race, so when he came in for his stop, the team's radio technician approached the car to check the wire between helmet and car.
When the pit stop was complete, the chief mechanic lifted the lollipop and the technician was hit by the car's rear wing as Yamamoto drove away.
The primary cause of the incident was that the lollipop man either did not see the technician or had not been told he would be in the car inspecting the wire, while a secondary issue was that the technician was wearing a black shirt so was difficult to see and was not wearing a crash helmet.
He was lucky to escape without serious injury - reports say he has concussion and a damaged rib, although the team were unavailable for comment on Wednesday to confirm that.
That is two mechanics who have been injured in pit stops this year following Nico Rosberg's loose tyre hitting a Williams mechanic in Hungary.
Body armour and compulsory full-face helmets are being introduced by teams and race wear suppliers. For those that work on cars in the pit lane, they can't come soon enough.
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