Alex Lynn’s accident was not captured by TV at Saturday’s Diriyah race due to the fact that the TV camera operator was concentrating on an incident that happened just a few seconds before.
That was a tangle between Maximilian Guenther and Tom Blomqvist, who had been disputing 10th position when the BMW driver rammed the NIO333 machine out of contention.
The Race has learned that the two remote camera operators at the Turn 18 complex were zooming in to Guenther’s damaged car when the Mitch Evans and Lynn contact occurred.
The incident that brought out the Safety Car #DiriyahEPrix pic.twitter.com/jvN11rsxeu
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) February 27, 2021
This meant that the camera angle was not wide enough to even glimpse Lynn’s inverted Mahindra which skated through the sizeable run-off area and into a retaining wall.
The live direction joined the scene just a few seconds after Lynn had come to rest but out of sight of the camera, which was located on a cherry picker.
Marshals can briefly be seen running on the outside of the track to the crash site, while Evans is about to drive up to the stricken Mahindra to offer his assistance.
Formula E released CCTV footage of the incident on Sunday afternoon showing the contact and flip that Lynn suffered but no action from the TV production was captured at all.
We are thankful that Alex Lynn is well after this accident. Testament to the medical staff, marshals and the @FIA who keep our sport safe. 🙌 to Mitch Evans who abandoned his race to run to Alex’s aid. #ABBFormulaE #DiriyahEPrix @alexlynnracing @mitchevans_ pic.twitter.com/hp7FTNYR8w
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) February 28, 2021
There was also no onboard coverage to source back to as both Evans and Lynn had deactivated cameras because they were racing in 14th and 15th positions at the time of the contact.
Formula E’s TV coverage, which is controlled by Aurora Media Worldwide, has a limited number of active onboard channels that send images to the outside broadcasting suites at the circuit.
Online rumours persisted after the incident – incorrectly – that the TV directors had deliberately not shown footage of the actual accident for sensitivity reasons.
Formula E-supplied images have circulated of Lynn being extricated from the car and laying on a stretcher by the side of the track after the red flag.
The Race understands that Mahindra was unhappy with these pictures being syndicated.
Mahindra confirmed late on Sunday evening that Lynn had left hospital and have subsequently issued a video in which he said that he was: “I’m a 100% fine, no injuries at all.”
A message to the passioneers from @alexlynnracing 🤩#ABBFormulaE #FormulaE #DiriyahEPrix pic.twitter.com/Tdj7RQXvZX
— Mahindra Racing (@MahindraRacing) March 1, 2021
“So I’d like to say a big thank you to my team Mahindra, the FIA and also Formula E for making sure that the car I’m driving is extremely safe,” he continued.
“And the second thing I’d really like to say is that a big thank you for all the messages that I’ve been sent, honestly really humbled by some of the things that have been said and I do appreciate it a lot.
“So from now it’s just really about getting ready for Rome in a few weeks time. I want to maximise this really fast Mahindra car that I’ve been given and looking forward to.”
