There’s still not much to say at this stage – most of you will have seen the images of smoke, firefighting efforts and ambulances, coupled with an awful lot of hearsay.
Our very best wishes to everyone in the paddock, and our pride and admiration goes to the pit crews of several team colors and creeds who apparently pitched in to douse the flames. It speaks further for the already well-known competitive bond in the F1 pit lane.
Here’s what we know directly from the teams themselves. First of all Caterham F1:
Caterham F1 Team was involved in a fire that started in the Williams F1 Team’s garage after the end of the Spanish Grand Prix.
All the team’s employees have been accounted for and four people have been taken to the circuit medical centre for examination; one with a minor hand injury and three with respiratory issues.
A further statement will be issued when more details about the incident are confirmed.
Next a short series of Tweets in chronological order from @clubforce, the official Sahara Force India account.
Thanks for your best wishes to the team member who bravely went to fight the flames. He is being checked out in the circuit medical centre.
Our guy is OK on the whole. Just some coughing from all that smoke. Our guys are made of strong stuff! Thanks for all your messages.
Like everyone in the paddock our thoughts are with @WilliamsF1Team and hoping everyone is ok.
UPDATE: At 1844 GMT, Williams released their official statement on the issue – which was sadly a little more non-commital than the unsourced rumors preceding it. Here it is in full:
After today’s Spanish Grand Prix a fire occurred in the team’s garage which originated from the fuel area.
Four team personnel were injured in the incident and subsequently taken to the medical centre. Three are now receiving treatment at local hospitals for their injuries, while the fourth has been released. The team will monitor their condition and ensure they receive the best possible care.
The team, the fire services and the police are working together to determine the root cause of the fire and an update statement will be released in due course.
The Williams F1 Team would like to thank all of the teams and the FIA for their support in today’s incident.
Once again, our very best wishes to all involved.
