Imagine gunning it out of the pit lane, only to find a massive truck blocking your path. That’s exactly what happened to Giuliano Alesi, son of Formula One legend Jean Alesi, during a Super Formula race at Sportsland Sugo this past weekend.
The bizarre moment unfolded after Alesi’s pit stop. His engineer urged him over the radio to push hard toward the safety car line for a quick exit. But as he sped toward the pit lane exit, a recovery truck sat right in his way, forcing him to slam on the brakes and lose precious time.
Frustrated, Alesi didn’t wait. He reportedly swung around the left side of the truck, overtaking it in the pit lane before finally getting up to speed and rejoining the track. The whole scene left fans scratching their heads.
Despite the odd delay, the 24-year-old driver for KMCG finished Sunday’s race in 19th place out of 24 drivers, about 45 seconds behind the leaders. The event was won by Nirei Fukuzumi, with Ayumu Iwasa and Igor Fraga rounding out the podium.
So, was this just a weird one-off moment, or could pit lane traffic rules use a rethink?
