How Sky Sports F1 star triggered fire alarm while at Japanese Grand Prix

Sky Sports F1

How Sky Sports F1 star triggered fire alarm while at Japanese Grand Prix

Karun Chandhok set the fire alarm off!

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 3 April 2026 10:57

The Sky Sports F1 team found themselves in a bit of hot water during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, with a fire alarm incident.

With Martin Brundle absent from the race weekend as part of his normal rotation throughout the season, the Sky F1 team consisted of David Croft, Ted Kravitz, Karun Chandhok, Jenson Button, Bernie Collins and Natalie Pinkham.

Rachel Brookes was also in the paddock for post-session interviews as Kimi Antonelli claimed his second consecutive grand prix victory to become the youngest ever leader of the F1 drivers' championship.

Article continues under video

But while out for sushi in Yokkaichi, which is around 10 miles outside the Suzuka International Circuit, Croft and co were involved in a rather embarrassing moment.

Croft revealed on the F1 Show that former F1 racer Chandhok had accidentally set the fire alarm off in the restaurant twice, with Pinkham suggesting that the police had to be called after the second occasion.

"We needed you Martin," Croft said about Brundle’s absence from the Japanese GP weekend. "We needed you on Friday night to keep Karun Chandhok at bay.

"We had a bit of an incident in downtown Yokkaichi where, famously Karun orders for everybody when it comes to mealtimes, and he might have used the wrong button.

"He thought he was calling the waiter over, but he was actually pressing the fire alarm. Twice.

"The second time, so hard that he evacuated the restaurant. He was last seen skulking out into the night alongside a couple of others."

Pinkham then chipped in, saying: "We have video evidence of this moment which included the police turning up. And one girl was running out of the building so fast that she fell over and screamed. And it was all because of Karun!"

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When is the next F1 race?

Following the cancellation of both of April's two scheduled race weekends due to the conflict in the Middle East, F1 now takes a five-week break until the Miami GP weekend at the start of May.

During the F1 Show, Brundle confirmed that he will be returning to the Sky Sports F1 lineup for Miami, while also describing that upcoming race as 'one of the biggest relaunches in the history of Formula 1'.

The Miami GP weekend begins on Friday May 1 and is a sprint weekend, so we will see FP1 and sprint qualifying on that first Friday in May.

Saturday May 2 then sees the sprint race before attention will switch to the grand prix with grand prix qualifying later on the Saturday, and the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, May 3 with a lights out time of 4pm local time (9pm BST).

F1 Japanese Grand Prix Sky Sports F1 Karun Chandhok