Ralf Schumacher: Race Control should be ASHAMED after 'bad joke' restart

Ralf Schumacher

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Schumacher: Race Control should be ASHAMED after 'bad joke' restart

The top TV pundit and former F1 driver criticised the decision to red flag the Australian Grand Prix for a third time

Dan Davis

Friday 7 April 2023 11:19

Ralf Schumacher has savaged Race Control for their "bad joke" of a restart during the Australian Grand Prix, a decision that resulted in multiple collisions.

The race descended into chaos in its latter stages after Kevin Magnussen's Haas made contact with the wall. With carbon fibre and metal having scattered, the Safety Car was deployed and the red flags were brought out.

Dramatically, a two-lap shoot-out was created from the three remaining laps, although the race was brought to another premature halt after just a few corners.

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Carlos Sainz caused Fernando Alonso to spin, while Pierre Gasly and his Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon were forced to retire. The collisions weren't done there, either, after Logan Sergeant rear-ended Nyck de Vries but escaped punishment.

After the red flag was waved for a third time, Race Control conducted a countback to lap 56 to determine the starting order for the final stretch.

The decision unsurprisingly raised eyebrows in the aftermath, and former Formula 1 driver Schumacher has waded into the debate.

Schumacher: They could have used a Safety Car

"Rules are one thing, foresight is another," he told Sport1.de. "They could have used a Safety Car to prevent chaos.

"In Australia, chaos at the start is simply programmed so late in the grand prix. The first chicane is extremely fast, everyone wants to improve their position and goes into the dangerous first corner with over-motivation. I know what I’m talking about.