Esteban Ocon almost mowed down a crowd of people after a huge misunderstanding at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Alpine star needed to come into the pit-lane to avoid being disqualified, but a group of photographers had already assembled to prepare for race winner Sergio Perez to return to Parc Ferme.
Alpine’s strategy was clear on Sunday after Ocon started from the pits, with the Frenchman asked to put in a mammoth stint on hard-compound tyres before making his mandatory pit-stop at the end of the Grand Prix.
Sky Sports commentators David Croft and Karun Chandhok were therefore left puzzled when the live pit-lane became flooded with media personnel, who had seemingly failed to acknowledge that Ocon was destined to pull in at any moment.
In a terrifying scene that Croft called a ‘complete and utter shambles’, photographers were seen scrambling to get out of the way as Ocon came within inches of an ugly incident before pulling in to make his stop.
As the drama unfolded, angry Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz yelled: “What is this about?! This is a shambles. We can see it coming, Alpine can see it coming, why can’t anyone else? What is going on down there?!”
Unbelievable onboard footage from Ocon’s point of view illustrates just how close the 26-year-old came to one photographer in particular, who was forced to leap out of the road at the last second.
An investigation has since been launched, with an official statement beginning: “Representatives of the FIA responsible for the Parc Ferme area at pit entry are required to report to the Stewards at 17:30, in relation to the incident below: Personnel blocking the fast lane in the pit lane on the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix while the pit lane remained open.”
Ocon’s near-miss provided controversy in what was an otherwise uneventful Grand Prix in Baku. Charles Leclerc started on pole but was quickly ousted by the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, with the Mexican coming out on top and edging closer to the Dutchman in the points standings.
It wasn’t a productive weekend for Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton took P6 with George Russell two behind. Meanwhile, Aston Martin continued their solid start to the season, although Fernando Alonso’s streak of podiums ended at three as he took P4.
