The small reptile has entered the street circuit. Fortunately there were no consequences for him and the pilots. In 2016, another specimen behaved in the same way
The first free practice from the F1 to Singaporeend with Charles Leclerc in front of everyone, they found an unexpected protagonist. In fact, a monitor lizard, a reptile widespread in Asia with different species, entered the city route of Marina Bay. As a result, the stewards were forced to intervene, while the drivers had to take their foot off the accelerator. An unexpected event that caused shivers and smiles between the track and the pit lane, as demonstrated by the scene between Max Verstappen and the wall Red Bull.
I remember
—
The Dutchman, twice king of F1, was among the first to notice the presence of the small reptile. And, while he pointed out the track invader to his wall, he recalled a similar case in 2016, when he found himself in the path of another monitor lizard. The episode ended without any problems for Verstappen and the animal. This time Max joked: “There’s another lizard on the track, but this time smaller than the one last time.” The Red Bull engineers echoed this: “Evidently Godzilla has puppies…”, recalling the lizard protagonist of science fiction films.
precedents
—
The animals they have often been the protagonists of track invasions in F1 in the past. Twice deer made an appearance in the Austrian GP. The experience of Stefan Johansson was dramatic, as he ran over the animal in 1987, killing it instantly and risking his life himself: he escaped with broken two ribs. In 2001, however, the deer managed to escape without consequences. Six years later it was the turn of a marmot to make its appearance on the Montreal track. In 2020, in Bahrain, a dog entered the circuit, with Lewis Hamilton who, between irony and concern, asked if it was his bulldog Roscoe. Things went worse for the two squirrels who crossed the Monza track in 2021, being hit by Verstappen and Bottas.