A problem with the lights on the locking between Räikkönen and Mazepin
An issue with the lights system is the cause of the collision between Kimi Räikkönen and Nikita Mazepin. The Alfa Romeo driver received a ten-second penalty.
Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll were not the only ones to cause damage during the Hungarian Grand Prix. This time, the incident occurred in the pit lane. And it’s Nikita Mazepin’s turn to suffer the consequences. While all drivers, except Lewis Hamilton, entered the pits to put on slick tires, Räikkönen cut the right front tire of Mazepin’s car as he exited his pit box. The damage forced the Haas driver to retire from the race.
For this incident, the sports commissioners penalized Räikkönen with a ten-second penalty for his dangerous exit. As a result, the Finn finished the race in tenth place after Sebastian Vettel was disqualified.
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Nikita Mazepin joins the list of DNFs after colliding with Kimi Räikkönen in the pit lane 💥#HungarianGP 🇭🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/7lEWIhycuf
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 1, 2021
After the Grand Prix, Xevi Pujolar, the track engineering manager of Alfa Romeo, explained that the light system used in the pit lane mistakenly signaled Räikkönen to go, leading to the contact between the two drivers.
« With Kimi Räikkönen, making his pit stop while everyone was coming in at the same time, we had an issue with our lights system which meant it simply wasn’t working properly. He left when Mazepin was arriving, unfortunately. »
A regrettable incident for both Alfa Romeo and Haas. The two teams in search of valuable points missed an opportunity during the race. Only Räikkönen scored a point. The Finnish driver was disappointed at the end.
« We were doing well until the second pit stop when we entered the stands. I was released and hit the other car, and I was penalized for it. From that moment on, our race was over. It’s a shame, we were in a good position to score some good points.
Antonio Giovinazzi is also penalized.
It’s all the more unfortunate because his teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi, also received a ten-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The Italian was caught accelerating at 105.6 km/h, whereas the limit is 80 km/h. He ultimately finished thirteenth at the end of the race. It’s very frustrating, while the two Williams cars finished seventh and eighth, earning ten points. The season is still long, and nothing is decided, but a big opportunity has just been missed on the roadside in Hungary by the Swiss team.
