Lance Stroll, Williams, Circuit of the Americas, 2018

Williams fined €25,000 after mechanic hit in pit stop

2018 Mexican Grand Prix

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Williams has been fined for unsafely releasing Lance Stroll’s car from the pits after an incident in which a mechanic was hit.

“The team released the car in a manner endangering team personnel,” the stewards ruled.

“The stewards determined that the entire pit stop sequence was complete and that the mechanic being struck was as a result of a minor mis-coordination at the conclusion of the pit stop sequence.

“Nevertheless, while the contact did not result in injury, the stewards found that it is the obligation of the team to ensure that all personnel are clear of the car before it is released.”

The stewards compared the incident to a similar one in Bahrain. Ferrari were fined €50,000 after mechanic Francesco Cigarini suffered a broken leg when he was hit by Kimi Raikkonen’s car.

“In determining the penalty, the stewards reviewed the incident in Bahrain 2018,” they noted. “In that case the sequence on the left rear tyre was significantly delayed and not at all completed prior to the car being released, resulting in serious injury to a team member.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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9 comments on “Williams fined €25,000 after mechanic hit in pit stop”

  1. I hope that half the money goes to the mechanic who got hit.
    And the rest to the University of pit stop release mechanics to improve their curriculum.

    1. @coldfly
      Rule No. 1: “Don’t get hit”
      Rule No. 2: “See rule #1”

  2. But the man slipped and wasn’t hit by the car said Crofty. So that is a bit strange decision.

    1. It didn’t look like the mechanic had slipped. Maybe he’d lost balance. I’m sure the Stewards would have checked all the best video footage before they came to their conclusion. If the Stewards said he was hit then one has to assume the mechanic was hit.

    2. Yes – but notwithstanding this, the rules state everyone must be clear before the car is released. There is no scope for accidental blockages like this one being permitted in the rules.

  3. Somebody has to they for the party with the Dj at the end

  4. Ah! The old grifter trick of “throw yourself over the billionaire’s car” eh? ;)

    1. That made me laugh a little too much! You are evil!! :-)

  5. Just another incident of this type for this season.

Comments are closed.