04/05/2023
NEWS STORY
Esteban Ocon says he has received an apology from both the FIA and F1 following last weekend's pitlane incident.
Making his mandatory pit stop on the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Alpine driver was confronted by a throng of photographers who had been inadvertently released early into the parc fermé area for the podium ceremony.
"I had to lift off, I had to back off..." he subsequently told reporters, "I would not have liked to be the one in the middle there, at the speed we are arriving, especially so close to the line. If I missed the braking point, it's a big disaster. A crazy moment.
"We don't want to see these things happening," he added. "I'm sure the FIA has seen it and they will take action. If they don't take action, I will go and speak to them."
A post-race investigation saw the Baku stewards stating that immediate steps would be taken to consider procedures and protocols.
Speaking in Miami today, Ocon revealed that he has received an apology for the incident.
"The FIA has apologised and Formula 1," he told Sky Sports. "They assured us that this is not going to happen anymore. Thank God nothing happened and so all good from now.
"We are racing at the time," he added. "It's of course normal that there shouldn't be anyone in the pit lane until after we are racing like that.
"These things are normally not going to happen, the FIA has assured us that they are making sure they are changing the protocol and making sure there is no one in the pit lane until the end, so I'm confident we will not see that anymore."