Multi-car collision behind safety car "worrying" - Ross Brawn

Formula 1

Multi-car collision behind safety car "worrying" - Brawn

Four drivers retired, and 12 overall warned over incident

Ian Parkes

Tuesday 15 September 2020 09:55

Ross Brawn has declared as "worrying" the multi-car pile-up that overshadowed the Tuscan Grand Prix.

The incident early on during the race at Mugello resulted in the retirement of McLaren's Carlos Sainz, Antonio Giovinazzi in his Alfa Romeo, the Haas of Kevin Magnussen and Williams' Nicholas Latifi.

The stewards subsequently handed warnings to 12 of the 18 drivers that were still involved at the time, determining "the root cause of this incident was the inconsistent application of throttle and brake, from the final corner along the pit straight" by those drivers.

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The likes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas suggested post-race the late switching off of the lights on safety car played a part, suggesting safety was being compromised for entertainment, leading to an angry response from FIA race director Michael Masi.

F1's managing director motorsports Brawn has praised Masi's handling of a race that contained two red flags, although feels the FIA will be looking closely to understand whether anything can be learned from the safety car restart, in particular.

"I thought the race was handled very well by the FIA and the F1 race director Michael Masi, with two necessary red flag events that ultimately led to a very exciting race," said Brawn in his regular post-race column.

"The safety car restart, and subsequent multi-car collision, was worrying. I’m sure the FIA will study the circumstances around what happened and see what conclusions we draw from that."

Amid the mayhem, Mugello still provided a spectacular event and race, despite prior concerns from many that overtaking would be at a premium.

Brawn added: "Mugello is a fabulous track, in a breathtaking location, and it didn’t disappoint with some sensational action.

"Of course, the unusual situation has allowed us to race here, but it has seized its opportunity and handed us an eventful race, partly as a consequence of the nature of the circuit.

"There were some great overtakes and the high-speed nature of the layout made it very hard on the drivers. It was a real physical and mental challenge, amid very hot conditions."

Before you go...

No excuses from Camilleri with Ferrari "in a hole"

Hamilton/Bottas 'entertainment over safety' remarks "offensive" - FIA