WARNING: the footage that follows is not for the squeamish.
Motor racing is a dangerous sport. The drivers put themselves in high-risk situations where one mistime position can lead to serious injuries or in some sad cases, fatalities.
This said, we rarely expect the mechanics to be put in danger. They’re the unsung heroes, without whom the drivers would not be able to compete at their highest possible level, but they’re usually kept well safe, away from the action, in the security of the garage.
In Sunday’s Grand Prix in Bahrain, one poor mechanic working for Ferrari suffered one of the most horrific injuries imaginable.
As Kimi Räikkönen was preparing to leave the pits, he jumped the gun and accelerated too early. Now, you don’t need us to remind you how powerful an F1 car is; they accelerate very quickly. You wouldn’t want to be caught in the way of one as it pulled out the pits, as this poor man will attest to.
Again, this footage is graphic. Please avoid if squeamish.
Horrible incident for #Ferrari in the pit lane!!! hope the mechanic is ok #F1 #Formula1 #raikkonen pic.twitter.com/s9PdQ23YN0
— dave mufc hall (@batesi1981) April 8, 2018
His leg is crushed beneath the wheel and breaks in at least one place.
Only on Friday, Ferrari were fined for Räikkönen’s unsafe release. You’d have thought he wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. Surely now that he’s seen the damage it can do, he will be more careful in future.
Räikkönen’s car retired, with Ferrari later confirming the mechanic had been taken to hospital for further treatment.
Our mechanic was taken to hospital for treatment #BahrainGP
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 8, 2018
