Kimi Brasil

On Friday night, the Lotus F1 Team hospitality unit here at the Sepang International Circuit was the victim of a fire, causing the team to abandon ship for the rest of the weekend and seek refuge elsewhere in the paddock
At around 03:00 local time, smoke began to fill the Lotus F1 Team hospitality unit as one of the kitchen refrigerators blew a fuse setting the ground floor alight.
Thankfully nobody was present in the temporary structure at the time, and so no injuries were incurred. The team did however lose catering equipment, food and drink, and some marketing materials. One of Kimi’s helmets also perished in the blaze, and although the rest of the driver’s equipment was rescued it is now covered in soot.
With repairs unlikely to be completed before the end of the weekend the team has moved to a new home from home, setting up a replacement hospitality unit at the far end of the paddock next to the Marussia team.
Our sympathy goes out to those who were first into the fire-damaged facility, as they will be rather smoke-fragranced for the remainder of the day. We may also see a few hungry looking Lotus F1 Team members wandering around the paddock, and possibly a certain driver hunting down alternative ice cream resources…
The team would like to thank our counterparts from up and down the paddock, who have been incredibly supportive in offering help and facilities to get us through the weekend. While the competition on track may be as fierce as ever, but times like these are a reminder that as a sport, we are very much a community.
In case you missed it, head over to our competitions page where we’re offering fans the chance to win a copy of the Lotus F1 Team 2012 Compilation CD signed by Kimi and Romain