5 worst pit lane accidents in F1

After yesterday’s pit lane mishap when a runaway wheel took out an unsuspecting cameraman, it will not be unfair to state that F1 safety regulations leave a lot to be desired.

Red Bull’s Mark Webber came in to pit after 9 laps, for a routine pit but the crew took longer than usual and the Australian took off without properly securing the rear right tyre. A loose wheel bounced around before hitting the victim square in the back, leaving him with a broken collarbone and two broken ribs.

Webber was asked to switch the car’s engine off, and was allowed to rejoin after the wheel was reattached. The team was fined $38,500 for an unsafe release, and Webber finished at seventh. Although pit crew are required to wear protective gear, others in the pit lane are not, which is certainly a point of contention after the accident.

Let’s take a look at some of the worst pit lane accidents in recent years. Do keep in mind that the list is in order of chronology, and not on the basis of the degree of damage.

1994 German Grand Prix (Jos Verstappen)

Jos Verstappen

A blast from the past, but this incident from 1994 makes all the lists across the F1 accident board. In-race refueling was just reintroduced to Formula One. The FIA was trying its best to curb any risk of refueling mishaps, and specially designed rigs were constructed which prevented fuel from escaping once the nozzle was unhooked.

During lap 15, Benetton driver Jos Verstappen’s pulled in for a routine lap. As the mechanic finished the refueling, the unhooked hose sprayed fuel on everyone, quickly igniting and engulfing everyone in flames. Many in the pit crew were caught in the blaze, suffering burns.

Although it was quickly extinguished, several mechanics suffered burns. Verstappen was the worst affected as fuel sprayed inside his helmet before catching fire. The Dutchman was left with burns around his eyes, because he had his visor up during the stop.

Eventually, Benetton came out with the explanation that they had removed a filter from their rig, allowing a foreign body which jammed the valve open, spraying everyone with fuel in the process.

2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (Kazuki Nakajima)

Kazuki Nakajima

22-year-old debutant, Kazuki Nakajima, replaced retired Williams’s driver Alexander Wurz.

After an initial collision, from which the driver recovered, he pulled into the pits. He completely misjudged his stop, and in the process he took a couple of the crew with him. The injured mechanics, who pulled themselves up to dutifully finish what they started, were taken to the medical center shortly.

This incident is by no means isolated, and is a reminder of the USA GP in 2000, when Gastón Mazzacane ran over his pit crew, and in contrast to Nakajima, made absolutely no attempt to slow down.

2008 Singapore Grand Prix (Felipe Massa)

Felipe Massa

At the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, Brazilian driver Felipe Massa decide to pay a visit to the pits after the safety car was engaged post Nelson Piquet’s crash.

The Ferrari was given the go ahead without unhooking the refueling hose. Ferrari’s pit lights turned green, which are based on how traffic lights work, and Massa pulled out with an attached fuel hose dragging it to the end of the pit lane.

The want-away hose was quickly removed, and Massa rejoined the race, only to be docked a costly ten points. He eventually finishing second in the season, one crushing point behind Lewis Hamilton of McLaren Mercedes.

2009 Brazilian Grand Prix (Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Raikkonen)

Heikki Kovalainen

Right before the ban on the in-race refueling was coming in to effect, this particular incident proved how well thought out the decision was. In the 2009, Brazilian Grand Prix, Finnish driver, Heikki Kovalainen, planned to make an early pit. His pit crew pushed him out even before they could detach the fuel hose, and the McLaren ripped the hose from its base, spraying fuel all over the lane.

The Iceman, Kimi Raikkonen, had just finished his pit too and found himself right behind his fellow Fin. Doused in fuel, his Ferrari was momentarily engulfed in flames, due to the hot bodywork, with some fuel finding its way in to the driver’s eyes through the open visor on his helmet. In spite of the setback, Raikkonen fought his way back and finished sixth.

2010 Hungarian Grand Prix (Adrian Sutil, Robert Kubica)

Adrian Sutil

Force India driver Adrian Sutil started comparatively well in 13th on the grid, but a crash with Robert Kubica left him without any points. Renault’s Kubica, who was just getting done with his own pit, was released in to Sutil’s path who was pulling in. An oversight by both teams rendered both cars out for good. Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal Force India, was particularly miffed after both drivers came home empty handed.

A (dis)honorable mention here for former World Champion, Lewis Hamilton.

2013 Malaysian Grand Prix (Lewis Hamilton)

Lewis Hamilton

Having recently made the switch from McLaren to Mercedes ahead of the 2013 season, Lewis Hamilton completely forgot his new found loyalties when he turned in to the pit lane. The search for fresh tyres in the 8th lap started at the McLaren pit, where his former pit crew was ready for his former teammate, Jenson Button.

Quickly realizing his mistake, he went through and found the right corner. Hamilton was lucky at least, because the Mercedes pit was further away from McLaren pit, otherwise he would have had to lap again to get his set of tyres in. Similarly, Jaime Alguersuari found the wrong pit in the 2009 Abu Dhabi GP, when he mistook the Red Bull crew for his Toro Rosso.