Andrew Ferraro/Motorsport Images
Team member hospitalized after fire in McLaren hospitality hub
McLaren’s preparation for the Spanish Grand Prix was disrupted by a fire in its hospitality unit on Saturday ahead of FP3 that resulted in one team member being taken to hospital.
A suspected electrical fire broke out between floors in the team’s hospitality unit around half an hour before the final practice session, leading to the evacuation of everyone inside. A number of nearby personnel -- including Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola, who is a part-time ambulance driver in Milan -- rushed into the unit with fire extinguishers before the fire services arrived.
The area was cleared as the source was investigated and the fire eventually extinguished, with one team member taken to hospital as a precaution.
Although the situation was still being dealt with as FP3 began, the operational side of the race team was largely unaffected and could participate in final practice, with the race suits of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri retrieved quickly after they were evacuated along with the rest of the team prior to getting ready for the session.
“This morning a fire was detected in our trackside team hub,” a McLaren statement read. “The team hub was evacuated of all staff and guests, and circuit emergency services attended the scene within minutes. The circuit emergency services and local fire department have since extinguished the fire.
“One McLaren team member has been taken to hospital as a precaution, and all McLaren personnel and guests are accounted for.
“We would like to thank all the marshals and emergency services for their quick and professional response. We would also like to thank Formula 1, the FIA and our competitors who have offered to help our team and guests this weekend.”
Chris Medland
While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.
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