Formula E’s pre-season testing in Valencia was halted between practice sessions on Tuesday after a fire broke out in the Williams garage. A loud bang was heard before team members began sprinting away from the danger, with one man taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks.
The incident at Spanish venue Circuit Ricardo Tormo was reportedly caused by a battery explosion. Williams team members were seen scampering away from a huge fire, with emergency services quickly on the scene.
It took fire services some time to control the blaze, with black smoke filling the pit lane. One man was taken to hospital for checks, and while he is believed to have escaped without serious injury, a formal update on his condition has not yet been provided.
A statement released by ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on X read: “In a break between practice sessions, a fire was detected in the pit lane and garage area which has been contained.
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“The on-track Incident Response Team acted immediately to contain the incident while the main pit building and garages were quickly evacuated. One person has been assessed by medics and has been transported to hospital for precautionary checks.
“Formula E, the FIA and local fire authorities are investigating the cause and will provide a further update in due course.”
Approximately 3,000 people were on site at the time of the explosion, with journalists, staff members and teams disrupted during their pre-season test. Cars had been on track for a single three-hour session before proceedings were called to a halt.
According to The Daily Star, an eye-witness explained: “There was a huge bang and everyone started running from the garages. We couldn’t believe how quickly it escalated, there were people sprinting away, others tried to run back but couldn’t because of the smoke. We were evacuated from the pit lane really quickly.”
Nyck de Vries is the big name in this year’s Formula E championship, having seen his F1 stint cut short back in July. The Dutchman was axed by AlphaTauri after only 10 races, with Daniel Ricciardo coming in as his replacement.
After admitting to being ‘hurt’ by the ruthless decision, De Vries signed up with Mahindra’s Formula E team and took part in Tuesday’s Valencia test before the fire broke out.
