Quote:
Originally Posted by mark_l
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Summary:
- First run in the car, but was given simulator time before hand by McLaren
- No briefing on how to stop the car
- She was physically unable to operate the clutch on full lock and was told this was not a problem as she would never be at full lock
- Risk Assessment was done by Manor, no problem spotted with the tail lift position
- During slowing down, she was in gear and the anti-stall system was forcing the car forward
- She claims she attempted the clutch before the collision but it did not work
- Telemetry showed she was at full lock at impact, so could not operate the clutch as she warned before.
- She was attempting to go around the truck, and miss the rear
The only skeptical thing I see is the claim a button did not work. I find the HSE report a little unclear as to what button they mean. They refer to the clutch as paddles (which is accurate), and then say "pressed this button before collision" - which button? Because directly below that it says there is a neutral button. So does the report actually refer to the neutral button failing?Not sure, but it doesn't paint Marussia in a particularly good light. I suppose you could argue that if you're given a test in an F1 car, you should be at the level of knowing how to stop the car. But then again, the tail lift should not have been in that position. So even if you try and twist it to blame it on the driver, Marussia still looks bad.
What the report doesn't mention is if the car would have collided with the truck otherwise. It says that Maria thought should would miss it, but there's nothing else to back that up. If she'd have hit the rear of the truck it may have been better, or worse. And if she missed the truck, she'd be rounding a blind corner in a paddock area, at a decent speed and unable to slow down - so what was round the corner?