Pastor Maldonado’s car suffered a KERS failure on Saturday morning ahead of final practice for the German Grand Prix which filled the Williams garage with smoke.
The team are yet to assess the damage to the Venezuelan’s car, but reported no injuries in the incident which was dealt with swiftly by the team and circuit fire marshals.
“At 08.30 this morning the Williams F1 Team suffered a KERS failure on Pastor Maldonado’s car,” read a statement. “The car was in the garage at the time. The resulting smoke was contained quickly and efficiently by the team and circuit fire marshals. No personnel were injured.
“The team are currently investigating the cause of the failure, and assessing any further damage to Pastor’s car.
“More information will be released once the team are in a position to do so.”
This follows a similar incident in 2012 when a KERS unit failed and ignited fuel containers in the garage at the Spanish GP – safety measures were put in place to ensure flammable items were no longer stored near the cars.
