MANAMA (Reuters) – Australian teenager Christian Mansell competed with a mobile phone in the cockpit of his car in Formula Three races at the Bahrain Grand Prix after stewards gave the go-ahead on medical grounds.
The 18-year-old is Type One diabetic and the handset, fixed out of reach, allowed his coach to monitor blood sugar levels in real time through an implanted device connected to a mobile app via bluetooth.
The coach was able to study the data and warn his driver if the blood sugar level presented a safety risk, the stewards of the Formula One support series said in a statement explaining the exemption.
They said that although Mansell was fit to race, and unlikely to suffer a medical episode, “it is prudent to allow the monitoring system he is familiar with to be used during competition in the manner suggested”.
Formula Three’s technical rules bar any kind of wireless data transmission system in a car other than those approved by the FIA.
The dispensation was limited to the Bahrain event, the stewards said.
Mansell finished 13th for Campos Racing in Saturday’s sprint and 13th in Sunday’s feature race.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
