Carlos Sainz would like Formula 1 to focus on wider and longer pit lanes in the future in order to avoid incidents like the one at Zandvoort. The Spaniard had to brake the Netherlands as he exited his pits to avoid running over a McLaren mechanic, and Sergio Perez ran over a Ferrari impact wrench in the tight pit lane.
In Singapore, the Formula 1 teams will again have to cope with a narrow pit lane. Neither Ferrari nor Red Bull have taken any measures since the incidents in Zandvoort and, according to Sainz, are not the task of the teams, but of Formula 1. They have to take care of the problem and ensure broader facilities.
“For me, it’s not the pit crews or the Formula 1 teams that really need to change anything,” says the Ferrari driver. “It’s the FIA and the F1 organization – they have to find a solution for this type of pit lane.”
“One day a man will hurt himself”
The Spaniard fears that otherwise there will be an accident one day: “One day someone will get injured because it’s so tight when the safety car comes and we all come into the pits at the same time, like a year ago in Budapest, when we came into the pits on the formation lap. Or when the safety car came in at Zandvoort and there was chaos,” said Sainz.
“We have to find a solution because I have the feeling that we are endangering people’s health,” he emphasizes.
He would like the specifications regarding the pit lane to include wider facilities for future track homologations. “But I know that logistically and technically it’s not easy for the racetracks,” said Sainz. “But I was in a pretty scary situation at Zandvoort and it could happen again anytime.”
“This is a matter that we need to discuss between the FIA and Formula 1. Of course the teams can help find solutions, but we’ll see.”
place “not enough”
Sergio Perez says that the tracks practically put the drivers and teams in such a situation. “It’s something that needs to be checked and hopefully we can do better,” said the Red Bull driver. “Because we only have a limited amount of space available, and that’s not enough.”
“If something goes wrong during another team’s pit stop, there’s simply no place to avoid it,” said the Mexican.