F1: Webber Furious at GP2 Dog Invasion

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FORMULA-ONE - F1: Webber Furious at GP2 Dog Invasion - SPEEDtv.com

Written by: Adam Cooper
RACER Magazine Racer Magazine - NASCAR, IndyCars, Champ Cars, NHRA Drag Racing, Formula 1
05/11/2008 - 07:10 AM
Istanbul, Turkey

Grand Prix Drivers Association leading light Mark Webber was furious that two stray dogs got onto different ends of the Istanbul track during the Sunday morning GP2 race.

One of them was struck at full speed by Bruno Senna, wiping the right front suspension off his car. Fortunately there was no contact with his helmet. At exactly the time and apparently by pure coincidence a German Shepherd was spotted trotting along the circuit. A safety car was dispatched until the animal found a gap in the barrier and went on its way.

There is no question that Senna had a lucky escape in the light of the accident involving a deer that befell then Champ Car driver Cristiano da Matta at Elkhart Lake.

Webber, who watched the race on TV in the Red Bull motorhome, was horrified by what he saw.

“Obviously it’s turned out to be horrible for the dog, and it could have been horrible for Senna as well,” the Aussie told SPEEDtv.com. “We had two dogs in two different parts of the circuit. I appreciate that it’s a massive venue, but it needs to have control of all the boundaries. It’s very, very dangerous. These countries need to learn – this stuff wouldn’t happen in England or somewhere.”

After a meeting of local officials and the FIA they promised tighter controls on entry points to the track for the GP, plus a team of experts with tranquilizer guns has been called in.