It was a disaster in the pits of Bahrain Grand Prix as Kimi Raikkonen’s car hit one of its Formula One mechanics on Sunday – April 8, 2018. He was knocked over as the F1 driver was wrongly given the signal to leave the pits.
The mechanic, named Francesco, was taken to hospital with a suspected shin bone and fibula fracture. Ferrari was fined 50,000 euros (INR 39.99 lakh) after the accident. Raikkonen, who had been in third place, was told to stop immediately and retired in the pitlane while teammate Sebastian Vettel went on to win.
Here’s the video of the incident: Warning (Graphic content)
https://youtu.be/A3T239BvAQs
Speaking about the incident, Raikkonen said, “I go when the light is green. I don’t see what happens behind and unfortunately he got hurt. My job is to go when the light says so. Hopefully, he’s OK.”
Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne wished the mechanic a speedy recovery in his post-race statement. Marchionne also added, “I am sorry for Kimi who could certainly have finished on the podium.”
It was the second time Ferrari had been penalized for an unsafe release over the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. On Friday, the team was was fined 5,000 euros after Raikkonen was sent out of the pits with a loose wheel during practice.
Source: Reuters
