Following an incident at the 2013 German Grand Prix in which a cameraman was injured by a flying wheel, Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, has announced an immediate ban on anyone other than event marshals and team personnel being present in the pit lane during races and qualifying sessions.

Access for approved media will be confined to the pit wall.

The Nurburgring incident occurred when, following a pit stop, a wheel became detached from the Red Bull Racing car of Mark Webber as he made his way toward the pit-lane exit. The loose wheel struck a television cameraman who was injured as a result. He is expected to make a full recovery.

In order to reduce the risk of similar accidents in the future, two rules changes planned for 2014 are now due to be implemented in time for the next 2013 round. All team personnel working on a car during a stop will now be required to wear head protection, and the pit-lane speed limit during races will be cut from 100km/h to 80km/h (with the exception of Melbourne, Monaco and Singapore, where due to track configuration the limit will remain at 60km/h).

The FIA is also expecting a written report from Red Bull Racing which will be shared with other teams in order to help improve pit-lane safety.