Jenson Button ‘lucky to be alive’ after freak manhole incident causes havoc in Monaco Grand Prix
British Formula One star escapes unhurt as chunk of loose metal smashed into his McLaren at high speed during race
JENSON BUTTON was just glad to be alive after a manhole cover slammed into his car at high speed.
The chunk of loose metal had been sent flying by Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes and into the Brit’s McLaren, narrowly missing the cockpit and obliterating his front wing.
Shaken Button, 36, was left reflecting on what could have been a dangerous accident and demanded that track officials ensure drain covers are securely welded down on Monaco’s roads.
He said: “We have enough risks! It should be a controlled environment. That was an incident we definitely don’t want to see again round here.
“We were lucky that it just damaged the car. It stayed low on the ground, which was good.
“Safety wise, they have a great record here but a drain cover lifting in the air in front of an open-cockpit car is extremely dangerous. If it was another foot or two in the air it could have been a lot of worse.
“We can’t have it happen again. I heard it was welded down so I don’t know what more you can do but they must stay down.”
The nervy moment was similar to when Brit Justin Wilson lost his life last year in an IndyCar race after being struck by flying debris, while Felipe Massa got hit on the helmet in 2009.
RELATED ARTICLES
Button’s near-miss in practice for the Monaco Grand Prix raises more safety concerns and underlines the need for the halo or aeroscreen cockpit designs being trialled ready for 2017.
And it came as Jules Bianchi’s family launched legal action against Formula One bosses, claiming they could have done more to prevent their son’s death last year.
Frenchman Bianchi died aged 25 after suffering head injuries at the rain-soaked Japanese Grand Prix when he crashed into a 6.5-tonne crane.
His family hope governing body the FIA, Bianchi’s Marussia team and Formula One Management accept that errors were made which contributed to his fatal accident.
Bianchi’s father, Philippe, said: “We seek justice for Jules and want to establish the truth about the decisions that led to our son’s crash.
“As a family, we have so many unanswered questions and feel Jules’ accident and death could have been avoided if a series of mistakes had not been made.”
Julian Chamberlayne, a partner at Stewarts Law, added: “Jules’ death was avoidable.”
Meanwhile, Button has tipped Daniel Ricciardo to end Rosberg's stranglehold on Monaco.
German Rosberg has lived in Monte Carlo his whole life and won this race for the past three years. Yet Button believes his reign could be ended by Red Bull's speedy Aussie.
Button said: “Who should you bet on? The best car is still Mercedes but I think the Red Bull will be very close.
“I’d say Ricciardo. The Mercedes is a very good car but the Red Bull can match it as this circuit is not so dependent on outright power. It’s their best chance of winning again.”
Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda wants Rosberg rewarded with a new deal after winning four of the first five grands prix this season.
Lauda said: “I’m sure we want to keep Nico and Nico wants to stay.”