Diniz felt the heat!
Pedro Diniz felt the heat as he exited the 1996 Argentinian GP in a spectacular plume of flames thanks to his Ligier-Mugen-Honda’s fuel valve being stuck open (picture-above). Damon Hill won the race, making it three wins out of three, in his Williams-Renault.
The Brazilian, born in 1970, is a former racing driver, businessman and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1995 to 2000 for the Forti, Ligier, Arrows and Sauber teams. Diniz scored 10 career points in 98 starts.
Pedro Diniz, who had qualified in 18th, was involved in two major incidents in this 1996 Argentine Grand Prix. First he collided with Luca Badoer, whose Forti flipped and landed upside down in the gravel, bringing out the safety car.
Pedro managed to continue and made a pit stop only to retire when he came back onto the circuit and his Ligier burst into flames, because a safety-valve in the fuel tank had jammed open… Fortunately, the driver was able to climb out of his car without sustaining major burns…