I stuck my foot out, admits Williams mechanic.

What had looked like a serious accident, when Juan Pablo Montoya knocked over his 'lollipop man' during a Spanish GP pit-stop, luckily turned out to be less serious than it had seemed at first.

Chief mechanic Carl Gaden, who holds the stop-go board in front of the Colombian's visor during pit-stops, was hobbling around with bruised and bandaged ankle shortly after the race - and cursing himself for being a touch hasty when he realised that the fuel hose was still attached as he lifted the 'lollipop'.

"I'm mad at myself," Gaden said, "I instinctively put my foot out - and you don't stop racing cars with your foot!"