Sky F1\u2019s Anthony Davidson argues that \u201ccertain protocols\u201d need to be put in place by the FIA after a scary collision between driver and mechanic at the Austrian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred during the opening practice session at the Red Bull Ring. Haas FP1 rookie Ryo Hirakawa pressed the wrong button as he came into the pit box, and sent his number one mechanic tumbling. Thankfully, the mechanic was unhurt, though Davidson warns that change is needed to avoid any further such incidents, which he fears could bring a \u201ccompletely different\u201d outcome.<\/p>\n
FIA \u2018protocols\u2019 request following Ryo Hirakawa incident<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Hirakawa, a multi-time endurance racing champion, has appeared in various FP1 sessions since debuting with McLaren in Abu Dhabi 2024. His latest came with Haas at the 2026 Austrian GP.<\/p>\n The Japanese racer was involved in a scary FP1 collision after overshooting his pit box, his left-front wheel knocking a Haas mechanic to the ground.<\/p>\n The mechanic, thankfully, quickly got back to his feet. Hirakawa spoke to him post-session and confirmed that he was okay.<\/p>\n \u201cI pressed the wrong button when I was stopping in the box, and then eventually I hit the number one,\u201d Hirakawa added as he explained what had gone wrong. \u201cIt was just pressing the wrong button.\u201d<\/p>\n While Hirakawa is an extremely talented racing driver of championship-winning level, Davidson, analysing the incident, pointed to the complexity of Formula 1 steering wheels, and how a tiny error like Hirakawa\u2019s can carry potentially dangerous consequences.<\/p>\n Davidson therefore called on the FIA to put some regulatory safety nets in place.<\/p>\n Davidson said: \u201cWhen you\u2019ve got drivers in the car \u2013 and he\u2019s not a complete rookie, he finished third at Le Mans just a few weeks ago in the Hypercar class, so he knows what he\u2019s doing, he\u2019s an experienced driver \u2013 but when you\u2019ve got more of a rookie, say, in Formula 1, certain protocols I think should be put in place.<\/p>\n \u201cLike every mechanic should be wearing helmets, for example. I\u2019m glad he\u2019s fine, but it so easily couldn\u2019t have been, and we could have been saying something completely different today.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to be aware that drivers aren\u2019t familiar with these buttons, these complex steering wheels that they have, and a simple misjudgement and a wrong press of a button can have pretty damaging consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n Davidson\u2019s fellow Sky F1 pundit Jamie Chadwick, the multi-time W Series champion and endurance racer, stated that incidents like Hirakawa\u2019s should not be happening.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re all driving different cars, all the rookies are jumping in different cars,\u201d she began.<\/p>\n \u201cFirstly, I\u2019m very glad the mechanic is okay. Secondly, of course, these are mistakes that shouldn\u2019t happen on an FP1.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, they do a lot of TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] days, they do a lot of running outside of an F1 weekend where they should be dialled in with these things, simulators as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside of FP1 sessions, Hirakawa drove McLaren\u2019s 2021 car, the MCL35M, in a 2023 test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.<\/p>\n Hirakawa also represented Haas in the 2024 Abu Dhabi post-season Young Drivers\u2019 test.<\/p>\n Hirakawa took part in a further private test with Haas at Zandvoort, following the 2025 United States Grand Prix. He later represented Haas once more in the Abu Dhabi post-season test.<\/p>\n More Austrian GP talking points via PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Bernie Ecclestone backs Ben Sulayem V8 push but 24 races \u2018wrong for everyone\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n New Max Verstappen blow as Russell issues Mercedes future update<\/a><\/p>\n Chadwick continued: \u201cThat said, there is so much that they have to compute in the cockpit. They\u2019re going through all sorts of different run plans, there\u2019s so many buttons on the steering wheel, they\u2019re coming in to the pits, and to be honest, he was cautious in that instance. He doesn\u2019t want to be looking down at his steering wheel trying to find neutral.<\/p>\n \u201cHe should have known where neutral was, arguably, but it\u2019s easier done than I think people realise. And credit to the other rookies for also not making any mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n