F1 has witnessed countless driver and spectator deaths since its inception in 1950. With each mishap, the safety directives have improved and cars have gotten intricately detailed. But non-experts being careless around the pinnacle of motorsport cars is a setup for disaster. Such was the case during FP2 of the Monaco GP when Lewis Hamilton‘s W15 nearly took out an oblivious reporter in the pit lane.

The narrow streets of the Circuit de Monaco are unforgiving with sharp corners. One major accident and suddenly, the glitzy event full of celebrities loses its rich history. On a bright Friday in the principality, crowding in the pit lane was unusually high. When Lewis Hamilton came back into the pits during FP2, a negligent pitlane reporter stumbled right before the Mercedes garage while trying to avoid the incoming 7-time champ.

“I just nearly took some guy out,” Hamilton furiously said on his radio after the near mishap. “We need to get rid of these people in front of our garage. That’s so dangerous,” he added, probably getting scary flashbacks of the 2021 Russian GP when he sent his front jack-man flying by braking too late in the pit lane.

Surprisingly, a similar near-catastrophe was avoided in F2’s Monaco proceedings a day before this. Two heedless Aston Martin engineers ran across a soaking wet pit lane as an F2 car entered the pits during a live session. Fortunately, in both these cases, the persons in the firing line escaped unhurt. There would’ve been massive repercussions if Hamilton’s incident ended differently. However, this passed by as a blip in an otherwise beautiful day for the Mercedes driver.

Lewis Hamilton rejoices as Mercedes overcomes 2-year Monaco GP struggles

Friday in Monte Carlo was quite different for the F1 world. Amid Mercedes’ constant struggles, Lewis Hamilton’s brave FP1 outing saw him topping the timesheet. His success continued into FP2 as he slotted into P2, behind future Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. The W15 had truly come alive and the 7-time champion finally lived up to his potential.

“It’s been a good day, definitely,” he remarked, as quoted by F1.com. “The best day we’ve had on track. The car was positive. I enjoyed driving it. The track is amazing. The grip is quite good. We still have some challenges with the balance, but it looked strong. Definitely a more enjoyable ride than we’ve had here previously, in the last two years, particularly.”

Mercedes has shown glimpses of improved performance in previous race weekends as well, only to derail themselves in qualifying and the Grand Prix later. If they avoid any major set-up changes, which seems to be their kryptonite off late, Hamilton could be in contention for a Top 5 in one of F1’s most iconic locations—Monaco.