Formula 1
FIA to investigate Ferrari fire
The FIA is to investigate the fuel rig problem encountered by Ferrari in the Austrian Grand Prix that caused a fire when refueling Michael Schumacher's car. Rubens Barrichello had already experienced a long delay in his pit stop due to a fuel hose ...
Edited: May 20, 2003, 2:33 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The FIA is to investigate the fuel rig problem encountered by Ferrari in the Austrian Grand Prix that caused a fire when refueling Michael Schumacher's car. Rubens Barrichello had already experienced a long delay in his pit stop due to a fuel hose problem, then Schumacher had to sit and endure flames spouting from the hose in his stop.
No damage was done but naturally the FIA and Ferrari take a dim view of the situation: "The FIA are looking into the cause of the refuelling incident along with Ferrari," said a statement from F1's governing body.
"Checks suggest the fuel problems were caused by a small accumulation of fuel in the car connector, but the source of the ignition is not yet known. The FIA are liasing closely with Ferrari and the fuel rig manufacturer to determine the causes."
The fuel rigs are standard FIA parts, supplied by company Intertechnique, which has already faced problems with equipment from other teams. Williams has suffered more than one refueling problem this season and are not happy with the ongoing failures.
Ferrari boss Jean Todt played down the incident: "…on the next lap, it was Michael's turn to pit," he said. "A small amount of fuel was still in the nozzle from the previous refuelling, which dripped onto the car and caught fire."
It was certainly not a big enough incident to cause Schumacher much concern as he rejoined the race and went on to win. Technical director Ross Brawn said the fire looked worse than it was but an investigation was needed.
"It is never pleasant to have a fire," he commented. "But there was not actually much fuel around and it looked worse than it was. The guys reacted very well to deal with the situation, however, we do not usually have problems with the rigs and now we will have a proper investigation to find out what happened."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Murray Walker comments on Targa Tasmania rally
Next article Austrian GP: Williams race notes
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Rubens Barrichello
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
How ex-F1 racer Rubens Barrichello is still winning races at 52
Formula 1
Formula 1
Emilia Romagna GP
How ex-F1 racer Rubens Barrichello is still winning races at 52
Why illustrious racing dads aren't always an advantage for F1 hopefuls
FIA F3
FIA F3
Why illustrious racing dads aren't always an advantage for F1 hopefuls
More from
Ferrari
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
48 min
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Latest news
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
48 min
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Austin Cindric wins Ford Veterans Day Classic at Daytona
General
Misc General 6 h
Austin Cindric wins Ford Veterans Day Classic at Daytona
Kevin Harvick: NASCAR needs a Gen 7.5 car and 'some hard conversations'
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
6 h
Kevin Harvick: NASCAR needs a Gen 7.5 car and 'some hard conversations'
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe