'Op went well,' confirms Ferrari F1 mechanic posted in F109 | 04 | 2018
HOURS AFTER HE suffered a double leg fracture, Ferrari Formula 1 mechanic Francesco Cigarini took to Instagram to confirm he had successfully undergone surgery.
Cigarini suffered a broken shinbone and fibula and when Kimi Raikkonen was mistakenly told to leave the pit box, despite the rear left tyre not having been replaced.
As the Finn accelerated away, he ran over Cigarini, leaving his mechanic with a fractured leg. Cigarini was initially taken to the medical centre at the track before being transferred to Bahrain’s BDF hospital where he was operated on.
After surgery, he took to Instagram to confirm his surgery was a success.
"The operation went well," he wrote. "I want to thank all the people who asked about me and worried. Only a big thank you. Hugs."
Related: Vettel holds on to win Bahrain GP
And Raikkonen, who only joined Instagram in December last year, responded: "Get well soon mate!"
Ferrari is currently carrying out an internal investigation to explain why its automated system told Raikkonen the pitstop was finished and he could leave.
The system triggers a green light when the car has four wheels re-fitted. But bizarrely, in the Bahrain incident, Raikkonen's left rear had not even been removed before the green light was activated. When he pulled away, he still had the old tyre on.
Raikkonen was immediately instructed to stop in the pitlane because it is against the regulations for a car to have a mismatched set of tyres.
Ferrari was subsequently fined €50,000 for the unsafe release.
Related: Scot Paul di Resta to make Le Mans debut
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news by following us on twitter.com/Scotcars
Jim McGill