Korean GP: FIA admits it made Mark Webber fire truck call
The FIA has admitted it made the call to send a fire truck to Mark Webber's Korean Grand Prix incident, but did not expect the vehicle to go out on track ahead of the leaders


The governing body will await a report from race organisers about the safety response before deciding if lessons need to be learned.
The scale of the fire that took hold of Webber's Red Bull after its collision with Adrian Sutil led Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting to order a response vehicle to the incident, anticipating that a vehicle at Turn 3 would be used.
However, there was concern when the fire truck from Turn 1 was dispatched and entered the track ahead of the race leaders - and before the safety car had been able to intervene to slow the field down.
Race winner Sebastian Vettel said: "It wasn't quite clear that it was the safety car but then the safety car board was flashing and I lifted... and obviously saw that there was another car on the track."
Although it is likely that procedures will need tightening for the future, the fact that marshals did wave white flags to warn drivers of the vehicle's presence on track - as is demanded by the International Sporting Code - means the FIA sees no reason for sanctions.
However, race officials always send a report about the events of a grand prix weekend to the governing body, and the FIA is likely to take a more detailed look at what happened to see if there are safety aspects that can be tightened up.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said the fact that the fire truck was on a long straight was a blessing, as things could have been more dangerous if it had been hidden around a corner.
"It wasn't great, but thankfully it happened on part of the track where there was plenty of time for the drivers to react," he said.
"Sebastian was the first to come across it, but with the straight being so long there he thankfully had enough pre-warning to know that he was there.
"But if it had been unsighted it would have been a bit more dramatic."
Latest news
Why Piastri's attempt to join McLaren carries implications of risk
After the 2006 Formula 1 British GP, Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony was a frustrated man, despite his son - at the time a star in GP2 - having just scored a memorable double win in that weekend's feature and sprint events.
Alpine: Ocon has what it takes to lead the F1 team in 2023
Alpine Formula 1 boss Otmar Szafnauer believes that Esteban Ocon has what it takes to lead the team following Fernando Alonso’s departure at the end of this season.
McLaren explains gaps between F1 qualifying and race pace
McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andreas Seidl has explained that being able to mask the car's lack of downforce in qualifying is behind the large discrepancy to its race pace.
Perez: DNFs have been "killing" my F1 season so far
Sergio Perez still believes “everything is open” in the Formula 1 title battles after the summer break despite some DNFs “killing” his season so far.
Why few could blame Leclerc for following the example of Hamilton’s exit bombshell
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbonfibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? PAT SYMONDS considers the alternatives to carbonfibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
How Russell has proven he deserves to be Hamilton's Mercedes heir
He’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s already shown he’s not going to let Max Verstappen intimidate him. George Russell won’t say it, but LUKE SMITH says he’s ready to take the lead at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton moves on to a quieter life. And – whisper it – Mercedes and Lewis are starting to think so too
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans revealed after Vettel’s decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last