A spare part from Pierre Gasly’s car rolled into the fast lane of the pits during qualifying. The stewards have fined Alpine.
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The Australian Grand Prix qualifying was not only marked by the fight for pole position. The Alpine team also caught the stewards’ attention after an incident in the pit lane.
The problem arose when Pierre Gasly’s car left its garage to join the track. At the moment the car was released, a component from the front-left wheel assembly came loose.
The part then rolled across the fast lane of the pit lane, before coming to a stop in the inner part of the pit lane. Although no other driver was directly hindered, the situation presented a clear risk to the teams and cars moving in the area.
Following this incident, a representative of the French team was summoned by the stewards to explain.
An error recognized by the team
During the hearing, the team admitted that human error was at the root of the problem. According to the explanations provided to the stewards, a mechanic had not correctly secured the part in question during the car’s preparation. This improper fastening caused it to detach when the car left the garage.
In their statement, the stewards detailed the observed facts: “Video footage shows that as the car was leaving its garage during the qualifying session, a component of the front-left wheel assembly became detached and rolled into the fast lane before stopping in the inner pit lane.”
The Alpine representative acknowledged the error and apologized for this negligence.
Logistical difficulties mentioned
The team also explained that this problem occurred within a complicated logistical context for this first round of the season.
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Not all the necessary parts had arrived in Melbourne at the time of the cars’ preparation, which reportedly disrupted the team’s usual procedures.
“The team encountered logistical difficulties as some parts had not arrived in Melbourne on time, which prevented the usual preparation procedures from being fully followed.”
The stewards recognized these special circumstances, but nevertheless reminded that the responsibility for safety lies entirely with the team.
A fine of 5.000 euros
Even though the incident did not cause direct consequences on the track, the stewards ruled that the car had been released in unsafe conditions.
“The responsibility for ensuring that a car leaves the garage in a safe condition rests with the competitor.”
After examining similar precedents during qualifying sessions, the officials deemed a financial penalty appropriate. Result: Alpine is fined 5.000 euros for this pit lane error.
A relatively modest penalty, but one that serves as a reminder of the absolute safety requirement surrounding every operation in the Formula 1 paddock.
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