A mechanic has been dismissed by Toro Rosso following an incident before Sunday’s Singapore grand prix.
Jaime Alguersuari qualified a strong eleventh under the street circuit’s lights, but then had to start the race from the pitlane due to a coolant leak.
"My hopes of having a good day disappeared," recalled the Spaniard.
According to Spanish reports, including in the AS newspaper and the Motor21 website, an unnamed mechanic apparently discovered the leak with five hours to spare but did nothing but regularly wipe up the water puddle.
The problem therefore only came to the attention of the Faenza based team in general after Alguersuari left the pits to form up on the grid. There was then not enough time to replace the radiator before the pitlane closed.
Toro Rosso has been contacted for comment.