Sport

Williams F1 team is on fire!

From celebrations and happiness to fear and confusion, this pretty much sums up The Williams F1 team’s 2012 Spanish GP experience. Rookie driver Pastor Maldonado won the race in convincing fashion and has kept his team in the hunt for the constructor’s championship had to later rescue his 12-year-old cousin from the team garage a mere 90 minutes after the race.

Seven Formula 1 personnel were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in the Williams team garage after the GP in Barcelona, Spain. The number of people treated by the circuit doctors rose to 31. The former champions had earlier gathered outside the Circuit de Catalunya garage for a team photograph to mark Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado's first career victory, the team’s first in nearly eight years.

Team founder and principal Frank Williams, who has used a wheelchair since a car crash many years ago, was in the garage when it filled with smoke and flames. His daughter Claire quickly pushed him to safety.The blaze was fought by crews from the Williams, Caterham and Force India teams from the pit-lane side before circuit fire services arrived.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that all but seven of the 31 team members who went to the Circuit Medical Centre had been released. The seven were transferred to local hospitals for treatment.

Williams said the fire had "originated from the fuel area" and three of their staff was in hospital. "The team, the fire services and the police are working together to determine the cause of the fire and an update statement will be released in due course.”

The Caterham team, whose garage was adjacent to that of Williams, said four staff had been taken to the medical centre for examination - one with a minor hand injury and three with respiratory issues.Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley said one of his crew suffered from smoke inhalation.

Photographs taken after the fire showed Brazilian Bruno Senna's car in the middle of a gutted and charred garage. Maldonado's had been parked elsewhere under post-race parcferme rules.Team officials and guests were ushered to safety and the area cordoned off. A medical helicopter was seen to take off after a while.

The fire was the second in an F1 paddock this season; one broke out in the Lotus hospitality area at the Malaysian circuit in March.