BARCELONA, Spain — McLaren’s Formula One hospitality center at the Circuit de Catalunya has been evacuated after a fire broke out on Saturday morning.
The fire, which started moments before the final practice session of the week got underway, was quickly seen to by a fire crew at the circuit.
Mario Isola, boss of F1 tyre supplier Pirelli and a volunteer fireman in Italy, also ran into the hospitality unit with an extinguisher in hand.
A McLaren statement said: “This morning we evacuated our Team Hub paddock hospitality unit following a fire alert, the team has been safely evacuated while the local fire brigade handle the issue.”
It was a suspected electrical fire between two floors of the building, although there has been no confirmation yet.
The final practice session went ahead without delay, with the fire confined to the paddock which runs behind the pit-lane complex.
McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who were evacuated from the facility, took part in the session.
While the hospitality center was being evacuated a McLaren employee was seen coming out of the unit with Norris and Piastri’s race suits in hand.
Both drivers were out on track early in the session.