Jules Bianchi’s accident-led protocol by the FIA led to a slow response by the marshals towards the fire caught by Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
Carlos Sainz was marching towards a P2 in the last F1 race in Austria. However, in the final few laps, the Spaniard’s car caught fire after an engine fire.
Sainz couldn’t immediately get out of the car, as it was still mobile but fortunately got out of it right before it reached his cockpit. Though, he criticized the marshals for their slow response.
But, the marshals at the race had a justified reason not to be with the Spaniard immediately. The reason stems from the fatal crash of Jules Bianchi in the Japanese Grand Prix 2014 when FIA took stringent safety protocols.
“After the terrible accident of Jules Bianchi in 2014, the FIA’s rules regarding recoveries and interventions on the track have been drastically tightened,” the statement by the safety team in Austria read.
“Intervention is only allowed after instructions from race control. On the one hand, this naturally increases the safety of the drivers and marshals, but on the other hand, it has the disadvantage that interventions take a little longer.”
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The fire extinguishers were not enough for Carlos Sainz
The statement further by the safety team explains that the fire marshals were quite away from Sainz’s position. Therefore, he wasn’t visible to them. The team acted according to the protocol when they learnt about his situation.
“The place where Sainz parked the Ferrari was not visible from the marshals’ stand. They received instructions over the radio to go to the car with fire extinguishers, and when they saw the situation. They made the decision to call in the fire engine (S-car).
“This decision had to be made within seconds and, in retrospect, was absolutely correct. If you remember [Romain] Grosjean’s accident, hand-held fire extinguishers are not enough in a situation like that.”
“Therefore, the fire extinguisher was turned off, and the car was [left], which led to that unfortunate image on TV of the marshal “running away.”
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