Alpine’s French driver Esteban Ocon steers his car during the sprint shootout ahead of the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on April 29, 2023. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)
Esteban Ocon was involved in a dangerous pitlane incident right at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Alpine driver pitted for tires on the last lap at 300kph only to find people milling about the pitlane as he made his way to his garage.
It appeared an error by F1’s governing body the FIA had allowed personnel into the pit lane area too early.
“It was a good race until I had to box on the last lap,” he said.
“Not something we want to see. I don’t understand why the people are prepping the podium while we are still racing in the pitlane.
The onboard footage from Esteban Ocon's near miss in the pitlane 😳 pic.twitter.com/OqyKq79nFj
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) April 30, 2023
The French driver added: “It was a very, very close moment, I’m arriving at 300kph, braking at the last moment, and I’m seeing people around. It’s definitely something that needs to be changed.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner called for action to avoid a repeat of what had the potential to be a horrendous incident.
“That needs a review because Esteban’s within his right to pit on the last lap. That’s something the FIA need to police a little better before the end of the race,” said Horner.
Ocon finished 15th in Sunday’s race which saw Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen lead Red Bull to a one-two triumph.