Scary Incident at Monaco Grand Prix Leaves Photographer Needing Medical Attention

A scary incident at yesterday’s Monaco Grand Prix had at least 10 photographers diving for safety as Red Bull’s Sergio Perez slammed into the barrier.

One photographer was taken to the medical center after being hit by the debris but was declared okay. The race was red flagged as the barrier the group was standing behind needing repairing.

The incident occurred on lap one of the race as the cars raced up the hill after navigating the first corner, Sainte Devote. Perez was tagged by the Haas car driven by Kevin Magnussen and was sent violently into the barrier. The incident also forced Magnussen’s teammate Nico Hulkenberg out of the race.

Dramatic footage of the incident saw Perez careering sidewards to the barrier on the notoriously narrow track with the gathered photographers jumping out of the way.

Formula 1’s governing body the FIA confirmed the photographer was taken to a doctor but had “no open wounds” and was released shortly after.

In an Instagram post, Red Bull’s Perez, whose crash was most violent, said that he “hopes every photographer that was in the area is okay.” While also confirming that he himself escaped uninjured.

An Exhilarating But Dangerous Place to Photograph

Throughout the race’s broadcast, photographers could be seen behind the barriers standing inches from the cars as they flew past at speeds well over 100 miles per hour — despite Monaco being the slowest track on the F1 calendar.

The proximity to the race track means that photographers need to be on their toes — if an accident happens then they might have to jump out of the way.

Monaco is F1’s marquee event and the race has been going for over 70 years. This gives PetaPixel an excuse to show a classic image of photographers lying next to the race track underneath a basic barrier that doesn’t look as if it will protect them at all.

The race was won by Charles Leclerc who is from Monaco. It marked the first time a Monegasque driver has won their home event since Louis Chiron did it in 1931.

Image credits: Red Bull Content Pool/Getty Iamges