Formula 1 the 2015 edition ****Mercedes is suing their Senior Engineer**** (post 172)

.

Don't forget the couple of spins and light contact, all of which was more interesting than the ground hog

The car of former Formula 1 test driver Maria De Villota was "fighting" her moments before she crashed into a lorry, documents have revealed.


De Villota lost an eye [bbc.co.uk] at Duxford Airfield while testing for Marussia and died a year later, aged 33.

*snip*

Prior to the drive, the HSE documents said De Villota was sent instructions from the race engineer on the day, but they did not include anything about stopping the car or which gears should be selected when arriving in the temporary pit lane.


She then drove a saloon around the track, but the stopping procedure was again not explained to her.


After two successful runs in the F1 car, De Villota was returning to the marquee garage when her front wheels locked when braking.


As the gears were engaged and the car was fitted with engine idle control, designed to maintain revs at about 4,100 rpm to avoid damage, it was essentially "fighting" De Villota and she was "pushed" along the runway into the lorry, the report said.


De Villota pressed a button to unlock the clutch and disengage the gears before the crash, but nothing happened. A gear change from second to first was also rejected by the engine idle control, the documents added.


She had previously told engineers she could not operate the clutch when the steering wheel was at full-lock, which it was at the time of the crash.


The tail-lift had been left in a position which "not only created the risk of injury, but was also protruding outwards at the level of the DP's [deceased person's] eye", the investigation said.


When questioned afterwards, De Villota said she thought she would miss the lorry and did not see the tail-lift.

*snip*

In case some of you don't watch/record the practice session...

Spoiler: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2z46qf

The funny thing is, this in no way involved Maldanado.

I didn't watch the first practice session, but I did record and watch the second, and they of course showed that

DH records the practice sessions but never watches them unless something unusual should happen. The story popped up on my F1 news feed yesterday while I was home, otherwise we would have missed it. It looked really scary, I'm glad he was ok.

it didn't look as bad as those crashes at the Fontana Indy race those were some scary crashes, watching an open cockpit car go airborne and then spear into the ground lawn-dart style is never good

Ouch! That looks painful, just searched for the video. We don't follow Indy racing or any other racing, just F1. DH just doesn't have the time with his job.