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The F1 in Bahrain delivered a feared accident that rarely occurs. Kimi Raikkonen ran over his mechanic while changing a tire. The Finnish driver believed the job was done and decided to return to the track after going through the pit stop. However, at that precise moment when he made that unfortunate move, the race was over for him. Less than a week after the incident, Ferrari seems to have found the person responsible for Francesco Cigarini's tibia and fibula fracture.
"We have a mechanism to ensure that pit stops take place in the safest environment," recalled Maurizio Arrivabene, sports director of the Italian team, from Shanghai at the Chinese GP.
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Therefore, in conjunction with the International Automobile Federation, a review of the procedure was carried out to find out why the system gave Raikkonen the green light to return to the track when the left rear wheel had not yet been changed.
"The team was hurt that someone got injured, so we were interested in reviewing the general procedure. We have a procedure to ensure that pit stops during the race are carried out in the safest possible way," Arrivabene told Motorsport.
Kimi Raikkonen ran over one of his mechanics and caused a chilling fracture
And he added: "In this case, we have three factors: the human factor (the members of the pit crew), the mechanical factor (the pneumatic gun) and an electronic device (a sensor to determine a wheel properly placed)."
Arrivabene expressed that this led to the "mismanagement of the left rear wheel," because "it was not perfectly read by the electronic device, which gave the green light".
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT! Raikkonen ran over one of his mechanics during the pit stop and immediately abandoned the race. Don't miss the race LIVE and commercial-free on FOX Premium
Since the previous wheel had not been removed and the gun was disengaged and then reconnected to try again, the system registered it as a completed wheel change and gave Raikkonen the green light.
Arrivabene affirmed that Ferrari will make sure this does not happen again. "It is in our interest, because we care about our people above all," he stressed.
The perfect solution is still unknown, but it is believed that Ferrari has changed the way it uses the sensors during the process to ensure that the system can recognize if a wheel was actually not changed.
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During the week, Arrivabene remained in close contact with Cigarini and mentioned that the mechanic is recovering at his home in Italy. "I would like to thank our team doctor, the FIA medical staff, and also the Bahrain authority that immediately granted us the best doctor in the country to perform the operation. They helped us 24 hours a day, literally, so thank you to all," he emphasized.