Formula One: Ferrari mechanic suffers broken leg in pit lane collision

Ferrari has confirmed that a mechanic suffered multiple leg fractures at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday after being run over during a botched pit stop for Kimi Raikkonen.

At his second stop of the race on Lap 35, Raikkonen was prematurely released from his pit box before all four tyres had been attached to his car. One of the three mechanics working on the left rear, which had yet to be changed, was hit and dragged to the floor as the car accelerated away. Replays showed the car made contact with the mechanic's leg.

Raikkonen was immediately told to slow his car to a halt, ending his race. It was immediately clear there was an issue as medical staff arrived at the rear of Ferrari's pit box.

Having been taken to hospital during the race, the mechanic -- later confirmed to be Francesco Cigorini -- was confirmed to have suffered a shinbone and fibula fracture in the incident. There were clearly mixed emotions after the race as Raikkonen's teammate Sebastian Vettel celebrated victory on the podium.

Speaking about what happened and why his car moved prematurely, Raikkonen told Sky Sports: "I go when the light is green, I don't see what happens behind. Unfortunate that he got hurt, but my job is to go when the light changes. Any more [than] that, I don't know really. Hopefully he's OK."

The FIA later handed Ferrari a fine of 50,000 Euros for releasing Raikkonen's car in an unsafe condition.



ESPN



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