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f1 assured ocon that pit lane incident won't happen again

F1 makes promise to Ocon and drivers: not another pit lane incident

4 May 2023 at 19:50
Last update 4 May 2023 at 20:32
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  • GPblog.com

It was a bit of a scare in the absolute closing stages of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Esteban Ocon made his first and last pit stop at the very last moment, but in the pit lane everyone had momentarily forgotten that another F1 driver was obliged to change tyres. A collision was narrowly avoided and an apology has since been issued to Ocon.

In Miami, four days after the near incident, the Alpine driver was asked again by Sky Sports about the moment. "FIA have apologised and Formula 1. They assured us it won't happen anymore. Thank god nothing happened, but all good now. We are racing at the time, it's normal. There shouldn't be anyone in the pit lane" the 26-year-old driver responded.

Ocon hopes the pinnacle of motorsport can live up to his words. The FIA has assured drivers that protocols have been changed. "I am confident we won't see that anymore."

In the United States, Ocon himself will look to make amends with Alpine. For the French formation, despite updates, the weekend in Azerbaijan ended in a fiasco. Pierre Gasly and Ocon finished 14th and 15th respectively in the streets of Baku.