F1 car bursts into flames in bizarre pitstop incident; driver in cockpit says he had 'barbecue feeling'
A relieved Pierre Gasly (left) walking away unscathed after his car had caught fire.
PHOTO: Screengrab/Instagram/F1
PUBLISHED ONOctober 01, 2022 3:12 AMByChing Shi JieThe Formula One (F1) drivers might have prepared themselves for a gruelling and sweaty Singapore Grand Prix, but this fiery incident yesterday (Sept 30) showed that even the cars are proving too hot to handle.
When Pierre Gasly's car was rolled into the garage at the end of his run in the middle of the second practice session, it shockingly burst into flames with the 26-year-old AlphaTauri driver still inside.
The Frenchman quickly jumped up and out of the cockpit and thankfully emerged from the flames unscathed, reported The Sun.
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The quick-thinking AlphaTauri crew, with the help of a mechanic from a rival Aston Martin team nearby, helped to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher.
Gasly then came back out to complete practice, none the worse for wear.
Speaking to media outlets at Marina Bay Street Circuit after the practice session, Gasly said: “It wasn’t ideal. [The car] got slightly hot when we connected the fuel breather, caught fire, but we could switch it off and restart again.
"Just a bit of barbecue feeling. It was nothing too bad in the end.”