Albers takes the blame

Christijan Albers has conceded that he's to blame for his pit fire during last Sunday's Japanese GP. It doesn't often happen that a F1 driver is willing to admit he made a mistake, but the Dutchman of the MInardi Team took his responsibility. Albers overshot his mark during his second pit stop, which meant his mechanics struggled to attach the fuel nozzle to his car.

This manoeuvre resulted in a few drops of fuel on the car's bodywork and bursting into flames.
Christijan Albers

"I was having a really good battle with the Jordans and had a faster car, but unfortunately I made a mistake when I overshot the marks during my second pit stop. That led to a refuelling problem and the fire, which effectively put paid to my race. Thankfully the fire was quickly extinguished and no one was hurt. Apologies to the team, and in particular to the front jack man, Sandro Parrini, and the refuellers,"