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SCHUMI WINS AUSTRALIAN GP |
Michael Schumacher won an incident packed Australian Grand Prix, after leading the race from the very start. David Coulthard was second followed by Rubens Barrichello, Olivier Panis, Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schmuacher went out early on after a huge accident, and the tragic news that this caused the death of a trackside marshal was soon publicly known. Mika Hakkinen also crashed out, from second place, and his team are blaming mechanical failure.
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Another tragedy: Marshal killed at Australian GP | 04 Mar 2001 |
In a horrifying replay of the Italian Grand Prix last year a marshal has been killed at the Australian Grand Prix. It is thought that a tyre struck the marshal, in the manner of the accident that killed Paolo Gislimberti at Monza.
Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher had a huge accident on the approach to Turn 4 that saw the Canadian fly through the air after running into the back of Schumacher, before slamming into the concrete wall and skidding to a halt in the gravel trap.
His car sustained much damage as debris flew through the air. It soon became apparent that a person had been injured when an ambulance made its way to the turn. It was present for some time before leaving the scene. Michael Schumacher then announced in the post race press conference that a marshal had died.
Shortly after this a press conference hosted by Ronald Walker, CEO of the Albert Park circuit, announced that seven spectators had also been treated for minor injuries. They refused to release much information surrrounding the identity of the marshal, except to say that he was Australian, male and approximately 50 years old. His daughter was also thought to have been present at the incident.
Ralf Schumacher later confirmed to the media that he suspected it was one of his tyres that was responsible for the fatality as he saw it fly over the catch-fencing in the vicinity of where the marshal was standing.
His death comes in light of FIA safety regulations that doubled the tyre tethers in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the tragedy at Monza.
