During the second free practice (FP2) session at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, a near miss occurred in the pit lane between Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and AlphaTauri’s Nyck de Vries.
As Magnussen was manoeuvring his car to pull into his pit box, de Vries was released from the AlphaTauri pit box, resulting in a close call between the two drivers.
The situation was intensified by the unfortunate placement of the AlphaTauri and Haas teams next to each other in the pit lane.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the incident, Magnussen lashed out on the radio.
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When his race engineer inquired about the other car involved, the Danish driver confirmed it was the AlphaTauri.
Reflecting on the near collision, de Vries commented, “That was tricky,” acknowledging the potential danger of the situation.
Commentator David Croft provided a possible explanation, suggesting that the pit lane in Montreal may be narrow, forcing drivers to contend with close proximity during pit stops.
Despite the close call, Magnussen managed to secure the 12th position in FP2, trailing session leader Lewis Hamilton by a mere 0.826 seconds.
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Meanwhile, de Vries found himself in the 16th position, closely following his AlphaTauri teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.
The incident serves as a reminder of the high stakes and split-second decisions faced by Formula 1 teams in the fast-paced environment of the pit lane.
Safety and coordination are paramount to ensure the smooth execution of pit stops, where every fraction of a second can make a significant difference in the race outcome.