On the penultimate lap of the 2023 Azerbaijan GP, Esteban Ocon came in for his first pitstop of the race. The Frenchman had been racing on the hard set of tires since the start of the Grand Prix. He came in to take his mandatory pitstop at lap 50.
However, photographers and race organizers had blocked the pitlane entry as they were busy preparing for the podium celebrations. Photographers were present at the pitlane entrance, preparing for the post-race podium celebration.
They were unaware that Ocon was yet to complete a pitstop and had to move aside at the last second. Scary visuals surfaced as the Alpine driver went into the pitlane. The Frenchman narrowly avoided crashing in with the camera personnel.
Organizers at fault for shambolic pitlane incident
The race organizers had failed to inform the photographers present at the pit entrance that Ocon was coming in for the pitstop. The was a communication lapse, which could have resulted in a tragic ending to the Azerbaijan GP.
Ocon was traveling at speeds of 80 Kmh and a collision at that speed would have been fatal. Sky Commentator Ted Kravitz was horrified when the visuals of Ocon photographers narrowly dodging the Alpine car came onboard.
“This is Shambles, absolute shambles We could see it coming, Alpine could see it coming, how did this happen?” David Croft added, “It is utter shambles from the organizers.”
Ocon claimed in the post-race interview that he did not understand why people were there in the first place. The Frenchman said, “I don’t know why they are prepping the podium while the race is on. Two cars didn’t box.”
He added, “I am arriving at 300 Kmh, braking at the last moment, and I’m seeing bags and people around. It’s not something we want to see and something that needs to be changed.” F1 Twitter agreed with the Alpine driver as a major disaster was averted.
F1 Twitter reacts to Estaban Ocon pitlane incident
Fans were livid after the race organizers blundered in the last lap of the Azerbaijan GP. Fans took their rage on social media, pointing out how Ocon could have caused a photographer to get seriously injured.
Twitter User ‘MattP1Gallagher’ was baffled by the incompetence of the organizers. Another user ‘TomP1Bellingham’ notified that the organizers had closed the pitlane with a barrier, knowing that Ocon was yet to take a mandatory pitstop.
A user, ‘FastestPitStop,’ shared a scary visual from Ocon’s onboard camera. Another user ‘fiagirly’ claimed the sport made a dangerous call without cross-checking the Alpine driver’s status.
The incident could have ended tragically for any of the photographers, had they not moved out of harm’s way in the nick of time. F1 will have to answer some serious questions and look into the matter.
