Home » Sports » Motor Racing
Driver seals great escape for Button
Source: Agencies |
November 8, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WORLD champion Jenson Button says the attempted attack by armed men on his car as he left the Brazilian Grand Prix was a "pretty scary situation," and that he only escaped thanks to the undercover police officer who was driving his vehicle.
"The driver was a legend, a great guy, he got us out of trouble," Button said as he arrived at the track in Sao Paulo for yesterday's race.
The driver swiftly drove Button and the other people in the car away from danger and nobody was hurt in Saturday night's incident.
"We got in between six cars to get past and got away," Button said at a press conference. "Looking behind there were two guys with a hand gun and one guy with what looked like a machine gun.
"It was a pretty scary situation. It's not a very comfortable feeling, not great."
The Briton, who won his title in Brazil a year ago, was in traffic outside the Interlagos circuit when a group of men with guns targeted his car.
McLaren said in an earlier statement that Button was quickly driven away from danger by an armed policeman trained in avoidance techniques who was at the wheel of the bullet-proof Mercedes provided by the team.
Button's father John, his manager Richard Goddard and physiotherapist Mike Collier were also in the car.
Forced his way
The driver hit several other cars as he forced his way through the traffic to safety, Goddard said.
McLaren said the Sao Paulo authorities would be providing additional security to transfer the drivers and other senior team personnel to the circuit for yesterday's penultimate race of the season.
In fact, a group of Sauber engineers was robbed at gunpoint shortly after the Button incident from a similar attack, the team said yesterday.
"They left the track, three engineers together in a van, at around 8pm (on Saturday)," a spokesman said.
"They had to stop at the red light and then all of a sudden five people were around the car, one with a machine gun, and they opened the door and took two rucksacks and disappeared. So nobody was injured."
Teams are always on the watch for attempted armed attacks on members leaving the circuit after previous incidents over the years despite a strong police presence.
"The driver was a legend, a great guy, he got us out of trouble," Button said as he arrived at the track in Sao Paulo for yesterday's race.
The driver swiftly drove Button and the other people in the car away from danger and nobody was hurt in Saturday night's incident.
"We got in between six cars to get past and got away," Button said at a press conference. "Looking behind there were two guys with a hand gun and one guy with what looked like a machine gun.
"It was a pretty scary situation. It's not a very comfortable feeling, not great."
The Briton, who won his title in Brazil a year ago, was in traffic outside the Interlagos circuit when a group of men with guns targeted his car.
McLaren said in an earlier statement that Button was quickly driven away from danger by an armed policeman trained in avoidance techniques who was at the wheel of the bullet-proof Mercedes provided by the team.
Button's father John, his manager Richard Goddard and physiotherapist Mike Collier were also in the car.
Forced his way
The driver hit several other cars as he forced his way through the traffic to safety, Goddard said.
McLaren said the Sao Paulo authorities would be providing additional security to transfer the drivers and other senior team personnel to the circuit for yesterday's penultimate race of the season.
In fact, a group of Sauber engineers was robbed at gunpoint shortly after the Button incident from a similar attack, the team said yesterday.
"They left the track, three engineers together in a van, at around 8pm (on Saturday)," a spokesman said.
"They had to stop at the red light and then all of a sudden five people were around the car, one with a machine gun, and they opened the door and took two rucksacks and disappeared. So nobody was injured."
Teams are always on the watch for attempted armed attacks on members leaving the circuit after previous incidents over the years despite a strong police presence.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
