Large fire in pitlane at Albert Park, driver unhurt
A big fire took place in the pitlane at the Albert Park circuit around qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Supercar driver James Courtney entered the pitlane in a blaze, which quickly engulfed his car. Fortunately, the driver was fine.
The Australian Grand Prix was accompanied by a support race of the Australian Supercar competition. During the race, Courtney's Ford Mustang caught fire, whereupon Courtney promptly drove his car into the pitlane. The pit crew and marshals were quickly on hand with fire extinguishers. Courtney managed to get out of the car without injury.
The fire was noticeable throughout the paddock, and several people involved in Formula 1 remarked that they also noticed the clouds of smoke around qualifying.
Blaze at the Supercar competition
This was a NASTY fire!
— Fox Motorsport (@Fox_Motorsport) April 1, 2023
The good news is that James Courtney is okay.
There are no ad-breaks in racing. Watch every minute of the #RepcoSC with @kayosports https://t.co/4BvnzVkDu1 pic.twitter.com/c2fL7AQqv2
We could smell this across the whole paddock! Very glad that James got out of the car ok https://t.co/iLM3uxHLkw
— Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) April 1, 2023