Ferrari’s Cigarini ‘OK’

Manama : Ferrari Mechanic Francesco Cigarini, who was hit with a mishap during the Bahrain Grand Prix, said he is ‘OK’ while recovering from a broken leg.

Ferrari team Driver Kimi Raikkonen accidentally mowed down Cigarini, as he was leaving after a pitstop. The mishap occurred in Raikkonen’s second pitting of the race. It was not the driver’s mistake as he was given the green-light to rejoin the tracks. However, Cigarini was still in the process of fitting the car’s rear tyre. 

He suffered a shinbone and fibula fracture and was immediately taken for treatment, he then underwent surgery in Bahrain. Alongside a picture of him sitting upright and holding up a thumbs up gesture, the Ferrari mechanic posted a message thanking fans on his social media page. “Surgery ok. I have to thank all the people worried for me. Nothing else, just a big thanks. Hugs!” he said in a post on his Instagram page. 

A video which captured in gruesome detail the moment his legs were caught by the driver’s car had gone viral. Soon, thousands of fans took to social media to wish Cigarini a quick recovery.

In his statement about the incident, Raikkonen said, “It’s always a bad thing when someone gets injured but I am sure he has the best people taking good care of him and I wish him a speedy recovery. As for the accident itself, all I know is that I moved when I saw the green light go on. I couldn’t have possibly realised that there was an issue with the rear left wheel. Then I saw someone had got hurt and, immediately, I was told to stop by the team. Unfortunately, something must have gone wrong and we’ll need to find out what,” he said. 

Ferrari was fined for the unsafe release, “The stewards determined that the car was released unsafely in breach of Art. 28.13 (a). The team released the car in a manner endangering team personnel and causing injury,” FIA said in a statement.