Hispania fined $20,000 for pit incident

The Hispania Formula One team were fined $20,000 at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday after Sakon Yamamoto drove off from a pitstop while a crew member was still working on the car.

Video footage showed the man, possibly a radio engineer, leaning over to fix something while the rest of the pit crew stood back.

He then appeared to be clouted by the rear wing and tyre as Yamamoto was released, flung into the air and then left crumpled on the ground.

Other Formula One teams were notified on timing screens during the race that an ambulance would be entering the pit lane to take the injured man to the circuit medical centre.

Hispania said in a statement the crew member remained conscious and had been talking to the doctor, adding that the situation was under control. There was no immediate word from the medical centre.

"I was very worried about the incident in the pit-lane. I asked if he was okay and I was told that he was not badly injured," Yamamoto said.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said stewards, including Brazil's former world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, imposed the fine for an unsafe release from a pitstop.