Marshal mourned

Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has led other drivers in paying tribute to a Canadian Grand Prix marshal who died after being run over by a mobile crane during Sunday’s race in Montreal.

“The work of marshals is not always seen, but it is vital to our sport and without their commitment, time and dedication, there would be no motorsport,” Red Bull’s race winner said on his website (www.sebastianvettel.de) on Monday.

“I am very, very sad to hear this news and my thoughts are with his family and friends,” added the German.

The marshal, as yet unnamed, died in hospital from injuries sustained while removing the Sauber of Mexican rookie Esteban Gutierrez, who crashed out seven laps from the end of the race.
 
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that the track worker had dropped his radio and attempted to pick it up. In doing so, he stumbled and was hit and run over by the recovery vehicle.

The marshal was the third to die at a grand prix since the turn of the century but the first since Graham Beveridge was killed by a loose tyre that flew through a gap in the safety fence at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.

Italian fire marshal Paolo Ghislimberti died when he was hit by a wheel at the 2000 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, prompting a review of safety at race tracks and the introduction of improved measures to protect circuit workers.

Every Formula One ticket carries a warning that motorsport is dangerous but the fact that it had been more than a decade since the last fatality, despite marshals performing some of the riskiest roles, is testimony to the constant striving for safety.

The last driver fatality at a race weekend was Brazilian triple champion Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994.

“My dearest condolences to the family of the marshal who lost his life today, our prayers for him & his family. RIP,” Gutierrez wrote on his Twitter account.

“Shocked & saddened by the news that a marshal who is there to keep us safe has lost his life during our race today. Rest in peace my friend,” said McLaren’s Jenson Button, winner in Canada in 2011.

“Today there is nothing to celebrate. Terrible news arrive with the death of a marshal this race. Very sad. R.I.P,” added Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, the double world champion who was runner-up to Vettel on Sunday.

While the marshal’s death appeared a freak accident, there has long been concern about the use of such cranes while the race is still going on – but more from the point of view of driver safety.

Former racer Martin Brundle, now a TV commentator, observed during Sunday’s grand prix – before the accident with the marshal – that it might have been safer to leave the car where it was rather than hurrying to remove it.

Now-retired seven times world champion Michael Schumacher was fortunate to escape serious injury in Brazil in 2003 when a recovery crane was deployed during a rain-hit race and his Ferrari skidded off and almost crashed into it.

Team by team analysis (listed in championship order)
RED BULL (Sebastian Vettel 1, Mark Webber 4)
Vettel’s first win in North America, after starting on pole for the third year in a row. His 29th Formula One win and third of the season stretched his lead over Alonso to 36 points. He made two stops. Webber set the fastest lap of the race and could have been on the podium but for a collision with Caterham’s van der Garde.

FERRARI (Fernando Alonso 2, Felipe Massa 8)
Alonso went from sixth to second, overtaking Hamilton for second in the closing laps. Massa was lapped by his team mate but did well after starting 16th following a crash in qualifying.

MERCEDES (Lewis Hamilton 3, Nico Rosberg 5)
Hamilton’s third podium for Mercedes, at a track where he has won three times and after starting second. Both Mercedes drivers slipped one place from their starting positions.
LOTUS (Kimi Raikkonen 9, Romain Grosjean 13)
Raikkonen equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of 24 consecutive races in the points, although scoring systems have changed. Grosjean started last thanks to a 10-place penalty imposed in Monaco and a nightmare in qualifying.

FORCE INDIA (Paul Di Resta 7, Adrian Sutil 10)
Force India celebrated their 100th race with a double points finish to pull a further seven points clear of McLaren. Di Resta started 17th and did 56 laps on his first set of medium tyres, stopping just the once. Sutil spun 360 degrees while trying to overtake Williams’ Bottas and continued unscathed. Maldonado then ran into the back of him, damaging his rear wing. The German then collected a drive-through penalty.

MCLAREN (Sergio Perez 11, Jenson Button 12)
No points for the McLaren men, ending the team’s 64-race run of successive scoring finishes.

TORO ROSSO (Jean-Eric Vergne 6, Daniel Ricciardo 15)
Vergne’s best career result to date and also the highest scoring finish for the team since Vettel in 2008. Ricciardo suffered heavy oversteer.

SAUBER (Esteban Gutierrez 20, Nico Hulkenberg retired)
Hulkenberg retired with a flat tyre after a collision with van der Garde while lapping him as he fought for 14th place. Gutierrez locked up his front wheels and crashed into the barriers when leaving the pits after his second stop on lap 63.

WILLIAMS (Valtteri Bottas 14, Pastor Maldonado 16)
Still no points for Williams, the former champions’ eighth blank in a row. Bottas started in third place but was soon sucked back down the field. Maldonado had a drive-through penalty after the collision with Sutil.

MARUSSIA (Jules Bianchi 17, Max Chilton 19)
Another two car finish for the backmarkers on one stop strategies.

CATERHAM (Charles Pic 18, Giedo van der Garde retired)
Van der Garde hit Webber and then Hulkenberg.

STANDINGS

Drivers: 1. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull 132points, 2. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 96, 3. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Lotus 88, 4. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 77, 5. Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 69, 6. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 57, 7. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 49, 8. Paul Di Resta (Britain) Force India 34, 9. Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus 26, 10. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 25, 11. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India 17, 12. Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso 13, 13. Sergio Perez (Mexico) McLaren 12, 14. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso 7, 15. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Sauber 5, 16. Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico) Sauber 0, 17. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams 0, 18. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams 0, 19. Jules Bianchi (France) Marussia 0, 20. Charles Pic (France) Caterham 0, 21. Max Chilton (Britain) Marussia 0, 22. Giedo van der Garde (Netherlands) Caterham 0.

Constructors: 1. RedBull - Renault 201points, 2. Ferrari 145, 3. Mercedes 134, 4. Lotus - Renault 114, 5. Force India - Mercedes 51, 6. McLaren 37, 7. Toro Rosso - Ferrari 20, 8. Sauber - Ferrari 5, 9. Williams - Renault 0, 10. Marussia - Cosworth 0, 11. Caterham - Renault 0.