Ferrari is under investigation for a pitstop accident that has placed a mechanic in the hospital and ended Kimi Räikkönen’s race. The cause of the accident is not yet clear, but will surely be looking into the cause themselves to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
While making his second pitstop to transition from the soft compound tyre to the supersoft, Kimi Räikkönen struck a mechanic working on the left-rear tyre. Räikkönen was given the signal to exit the pit box, but the rear tyre had no yet been removed due to some sort of pitstop error. Räikkönen stopped the car immediately and the medical team transported the mechanic to the hospital.
The mechanic, identified by Ferrari as “Francesco”, has a reported fracture to his shinbone and fibula as a result of the lower part of his leg having been run over by the rear tyre of the Ferrari.
The FIA will be investigation Ferrari for unsafe release. This incident comes just days after Ferrari released Kimi Räikkönen from the pitlane with a loose wheel near the end of the second free practice session. The team escaped a penalty for this infraction but was handed a €5000 fine.
Article 28.13.C states: “If a car is deemed to have been released in an unsafe condition during a race a penalty under Article 38.3(d) will be imposed on the driver concerned. However, if the driver retires from the race as a result of the car being released in an unsafe condition a fine may be imposed upon the team.”
Article 38.3.D is a ten second stop and go time penalty, but since Räikkönen retired from the race, the FIA is permitted under the regulations to impose a grid penalty to Räikkönen for the next race in China.
