The local fire department was called to Red Bull's UK headquarters late last week when the team was testing for KERS, the electronic energy-recovery system that is allowed in Formula One from 2009.

But while smoke and fumes were the concern for Red Bull, the danger of electric shocks came to the fore on Tuesday as F1 teams began a four-day test at Jerez.

After three installation laps, test driver Christian Klien returned to the Spanish circuit's pitlane at the wheel of a modified 2007 BMW Sauber that was running an early KERS system.

A mechanic, whose job was to push the car back into the garage, touched Klien's car and was thrown to the ground with a shock. A statement said he had to visit the medical centre but escaped with only slight injuries to his left hand and grazing on his left arm. "Because the team is still investigating the incident, the car did not run in the afternoon," a BMW spokesman added.

It is believed the KERS car will not run at Jerez on any of the three remaining days of the test.