Hispania fined after pit incident

Hispania Racing has been hit with a fine for the unsafe pit release in the Italian Grand Prix which left a team member needing medical treatment.

Sakon Yamamoto was released from his stop while a member of the team was still working on his car, with the Japanese driver striking the mechanic with the right rear of his car as he pulled away.

The mechanic was taken to the medical centre following the race and the team was then hit with a fine of $20,000 by the FIA for releasing Yamamoto when it wasn't safe to do so.

Yamamoto eventually finished the race in 19th place although team-mate Bruno Senna was an early retirement with hydraulic failure.

"There was an incident with a member of our team during Sakon Yamamoto's pit stop," team boss Colin Kolles said. "First aid was immediately on the spot and he was taken to hospital for further check-up. He remained conscious and was talking to the doctor. We wish that he will recover quickly.

"In the race, Bruno Senna had to stop the car on track due to a hydraulic failure. Sakon Yamamoto instead did a good race performance and finished 19th. We could carry on as in Spa and the gap to the team ahead was quite small compared to earlier races."