With videoThe international motorsport federation FIA is tightening its own protocols to prevent dangerous situations such as Sunday at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from now on. French driver Esteban Ocon (Alpine) almost hit a group of people in the pit lane of the circuit in Baku.
FIA employees already allowed team personnel and media into the part of the pit lane where the drivers are honored on Sunday, while the Formula 1 race was still in progress. Ocon made a pit stop before the start of the last lap and drove into the people present. They escaped just in time.
The incident led to the FIA sending its own people to the stewards to answer. The union was told that it must take steps to ensure that such dangerous situations do not occur again. “It was pure luck that there were no serious consequences,” the stewards said. “We emphasized that the requirements for the safe and orderly conduct of the event are of the utmost importance.”
Check out Ocon’s response.
Madness
After the race, a shocked Ocon already called on the FIA to take action. “This is something we don’t want to see,” said the Frenchman, who finished 15th and finished outside the points. “I don’t understand why we start preparing the podium and the ceremony while the race is still underway.”
,,I enter the pit lane at 300 kilometers per hour and suddenly see all kinds of people around me. I had to brake and avoid the people. If I miss the braking point, this could have been a major disaster. This is madness and absolutely needs to be discussed.”
View the 2023 Formula 1 calendar here
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.