Filed under: Motorsports, Safety, Celebrities, South America
Here's what we know. According to The Press Association, reigning Formula One World Champion Jenson Button has survived an armed attack on the vehicle in which he, his father, trainer and manager were being transported back to their hotel in Sao Paulo, Brazil after Saturday's qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Button was fortunately riding in an armored vehicle provided by his team, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, that was piloted by a police driver trained in avoidance techniques.
According to Button himself, the attack occurred while his vehicle was moving slowly past a shanty town in Sao Paulo. Six armed attackers, reportedly brandishing machine guns, attacked the vehicle, though Button doesn't mention whether shots were fired or his vehicle was hit. He has, however, praised his driver, who he says "bounced off about five cars" while ferrying the party from harm's way. That's quite a compliment coming from the reigning World Champion.
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes also provided Button's teammate Lewis Hamilton with an armored vehicle and trained police driver. The precautions were reportedly taken on account of the high number of gun crimes in Sao Paulo. We're not sure if that's standard procedure for all F1 teams visiting Brazil this weekend, but we bet it will be in the future. Thanks to everyone for the tips!
[Source: UKPA]
Jenson Button escapes armed attack in Brazil originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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