McLaren issue Felipe Massa warning after Alonso mirror furore
McLaren issue Felipe Massa warning after Alonso mirror furore
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has warned F1 not to forget "what happened to Felipe Massa" after Fernando Alonso's recent mirror incident at the United States Grand Prix.
Massa was struck on the helmet by a spring from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, sustaining a life-threatening head injury.
Surgery led to a titanium plate being inserted into Massa's skull that allowed him to recover and return to racing the following season.
Seidl's memory of this incident was rekindled when Fernando Alonso's mirror flew off his Alpine during last Sunday's race at the Circuit of the Americas.
The Spaniard had completed a number of laps with the mirror flapping after a heavy shunt with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll.
Although the 41-year-old was initially handed a 30-second penalty that demoted him out of the points from seventh due to his car being declared "unsafe", the decision was overturned in Mexico.
“My view is that, in general, when you have parts on the car which are at risk of flying off, the car should get called in because I haven’t forgotten - and I was live there as well - what happened to Felipe Massa in Hungary," said Seidl.
“We need to be aware that something like this can happen at any time when such a part is falling off a car.
“So I think that is our responsibility in those cases to call the car in."
On what must happen for the future, Seidl added: “I guess it is just important now, moving forward, that we have, without any emotions, good discussions between the teams and the FIA and just put into place clear guidelines of what we want in the interests of safety.
"Take it away from any current emotions that are around, opportunistic views of where everyone is in the championship or what has happened in the past and just find a good way to move forward.
“Safety always needs to come first. Don’t forget what happened to Felipe Massa.
"This can happen at any time if a part like this is falling off and I just think it would be the wrong thing to be aware that something is loose and can fall off and just accept that it could go.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai
- 35 minutes ago
Hamilton opens up on Wolff talks over Ferrari move as Verstappen SLAMS F1 decision - GPFans F1 Recap
- Today 00:27
F1 Sprint Qualifying Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- Yesterday 23:27
Marko suggests 'exciting' move to REPLACE Ricciardo
- Yesterday 22:57
F1 Practice Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- Yesterday 22:27
2024 Sprint changes show F1 is listening to fix imperfect format
- Yesterday 21:57
Related news
F1 Drivers' Standings 2023 after the Mexican Grand Prix
F1 Driver of the Day - Brilliant drive earns Brit back-to-back awards
Violence erupts in Mexico as F1 fans start fighting in the stands
F1 fans in VISCERAL reaction to Perez Mexico nightmare
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860