A Sky Sports F1 promotional video for the Canadian Grand Prix included footage of Riccardo Paletti’s fatal crash from the 1982 race in Montreal. <\/b><\/p>\n
\nPaletti tragically lost his life at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after the Italian crashed into the back of Didier Pironi’s stalled Ferrari<\/a> at the race start. He suffered abdominal injuries, two broken legs and the car was soon engulfed in flames as the petrol from the fuel tank ignited.
<\/p>\n \nHe was airlifted to hospital but did not survive his injuries.
<\/p>\n \nSky’s promotional video, set to Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl, featured a compilation of notable moments and various crashes from previous Canadian GPs.
<\/p>\n \nAs spotted by @racing_insider, sandwiched between a clip of a groundhog running across the track and a smiling Toto Wolff was the moment that Paletti’s car burst into flames.
<\/p>\n \nAfter contacting Sky Sports, GPFans<\/b> have been told by the broadcaster that the clip’s inclusion was an oversight and was in no way intended to cause offence.
<\/p>\n \nThey have since updated the promotional video to remove the clip.
<\/p>\n Riccardo Paletti crash not Sky’s first promo mistake<\/p>\n \nThis is not the first time that Sky have faced criticism for their editorial choices in promotional videos.
<\/p>\n \nMax Verstappen<\/a>‘s 2021 crash at Silverstone \u2013 which saw the Red Bull star collide with the barriers at high speed following a 180mph battle with Lewis Hamilton<\/a> that ended with him going to hospital \u2013 was included as part of their Christmas advert campaign that year.
<\/p>\n \nSky apologised to Verstappen and Red Bull admitting a mistake was made while also pulling the footage.
<\/p>\n \nThe historic clip of Paletti’s death, which GPFans<\/b> have chosen not to include out of respect, is a stark reflection on the risks of motor racing.
<\/p>\n \nElio de Angelis’ death during a 1986 test session rocked the sport four years later, with Paletti being the last F1 fatality at a grand prix prior to Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger\u2019s passing on consecutive days at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Imola.
<\/p>\n \nThankfully, F1’s safety measures today are cutting edge, with additions such as the Halo being vital for the drivers.
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