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Ferrari fined for F1 pitstop incident that injured mechanic

Ferrari has been fined €50,000 for the botched pitstop that ended with one of its Formula 1 mechanics suffering a broken leg at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Kimi Raikkonen was making his second stop of the race when there was a problem at the left rear of the car.

Despite the wheel not having been removed, Raikkonen was instructed that the stop had been completed and he left the pit box.

As he accelerated away, he hit the mechanic who had been standing there with the replacement wheel - running over the crew member's leg and breaking it.

The FIA summoned Ferrari to hear its explanation for what had gone wrong, and in the end handed down a €50,000 sanction.

In a statement issued by the stewards, the FIA said: "The stewards determined that the car was released unsafely in breach of Art. 28.13 a). The team released the car in a manner endangering team personnel and causing injury."

F1 race director Charlie Whiting called the incident "slightly perplexing" and said the FIA would be speaking to Ferrari about what happened.

When asked if he thinks the teams need to face bigger penalties to make pitstops safer, he added: "I don't think so.

"The rules are very clear, what happens during the race, the principal being that a driver stopping on the track is a big enough penalty."

Zdroj: autosport.com