Stirling Moss backs Shu’s last lap move

Sir Stirling Moss has revealed that, having watched the incident between Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, he would have reacted in the same way had he been in the German's position. The 7-time World Champion was handed a 20-second penalty for overtaking under Safety Car conditions although the Englishman feels that the regulations must be amended. As the Safety Car returned to the pit lane on the final lap in Monte-Carlo, green flags and lights were displayed around the circuit – meaning, under normal circumstances, that the field had returned to full racing conditions.

However, with the sporting rules stating that no more passing is permitted if the Safety Car has been in use on the last lap, former driver Moss is sure that the guideline must be revised before the next race.

"The whole issue hinges on the lights going green and it's a racer's instinct to react to a green light or a green flag," Moss, who clinched victory for Mercedes in the 1955 British Grand Prix, explained to GPUpdate.net on Wednesday morning.

"On top of that, ten teams appeared to have advised their drivers to start racing again. By the letter of the law it was safe to race – really the lights should have stayed yellow and there would have been no confusion."
Furthermore, Sir Stirling believes that Schumacher performed in the correct manner under the circumstances. "I'm sure Michael did the right thing at the time and if I was in the same place I would have some exactly the same thing," he continued, stressing that the rule must be modified to avoid such perplexities in the future:

"The upshot is, the rule needs clarifying for next time in order to prevent confusion and so that drivers and teams are clear on what they can or cannot do under those circumstances."

GPUpdate.net is also pleased to report that Sir Stirling continues to make a rapid recovery from his shocking domestic accident in March and is now able to walk unaided, barely ten weeks later. GPUpdate.net