Caterham man praises F1 heroes

Caterham's Tom Webb praises the heroes who helped out when the Williams garage fire started in Barcelona
13.05.2012- The destroyed Williams FW34 of Bruno Senna (BRA) Williams after a post race fire in the
13.05.2012- The destroyed Williams FW34 of Bruno Senna (BRA) Williams after a post race fire…
© PHOTO 4

Caterham F1's head of communications Tom Webb has saluted the members of the paddock who rushed to assist the Williams team when fire broke out in its garage followinᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚg the Spanish Grand Prix.

Webb was working in his mobile office to the rear of the Caterham ♐garage - loca🎃ted next to Williams in the pit-lane - when the fire broke out, giving him a front-row seat of the unfolding drama.

Writing in his column for , Webb saluted the 'heroes' who had put their own safety to one side to rush and♏ help prevent the flames from spre🐓ading.

"The word heroes is used a lot," Webb wrote. "On Sunday⭕ evening in Spain I saw rea꧃l heroes at work. There were no team allegiances. It was the F1 family pulling together to help a fellow competitor however possible.

"Some astonishingly brave people went in to tackle the blaze at the Williams garage in Barcelona head on, in an environment that c𝓰ould have ignited fuel drums or gas cani෴sters, while others helped injured people out of harms way."

Webb also commented on the moment that it beca⭕me a꧃pparent that something had gone seriously wrong outside the truck in which he was working.

"Outside RT3 there was tꦏhe usual paddock hubbub, more noisy than normal as Williams team members celebrated as the🍸y were packing up their garage," he reflected. "Suddenly, above the normal background sounds, I started hearing raised voices barking orders and a couple of screams.

"I stuck my head out of my office door, looking straight back at the eℱntrance to the Williams garage and saw thick clouds of black smoke pouring out🙈, and people from different teams all directing fire extinguishers and fire hoses on to the fire that was raging inside the Willys garage.

"Looking to the right I saw a number of my team-mates s꧃printing out of the entrance of the composites and consumables area of our garage, and more heading towards the same entrance with fire extinguishers.

"Within seconds th🅺e air was engulfed in acrid black smoke. Visibility was limited and people from a number of teams started emerging from the garages covered in du🎃st, smoke and the powder that had been directed at the fire in the garage.

"Within minutes of it starting the fire was out. Unseen by me, the rescue efforts on our side of the garage were being mirrored ✱in the pitlane and the blaze was being tackled from both sides by team members from every team up and down the pitlane, as well as local circuit staff and members of the media who had been recording the post-race celebrations in the Williams garage.

"Seeing h𝄹ow the paddock acted as one shows me how lucky I am to ❀work with real heroes."

Caterham team members were amongst t🧸hose trea💧ted by medics after the incident.

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