F1: FIA Stewards call for rule change

The FIA race stewards have called for potential changes to F1’s regulations after clearing three drivers of an incident behind the safety car at the Australian Grand Prix Sunday.

Mick Schumacher almost hit AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda under safety car conditions on the start-finish straight at Albert Park, with the Haas driver almost triggering scenes similar to the multi-car crash at Mugello in 2020.

Both drivers plus Tsunoda’s teammate Pierre Gasly were summoned to the stewards but subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing.

The stewards’ report read: “Drivers were in line on the main straight behind the safety car with lights on.

“Cars were accelerating and decelerating to keep tire and brake temperatures up in anticipation of the restart.

“GAS [Gasly] slowed in reaction to the car in front, TSU [Tsunoda] also slowed in reaction. MSC [Schumacher] was closer to TSU as he slowed, while trying to maintain the ten car length maximum separation specified in the regulations, and had to move left and overtake TSU while braking to avoid colliding with him.”

F1 drivers are not permitted to leave a gap of more than ten car lengths to the car ahead when under safety car conditions, but suggesting a change needs considering, the report added: “The stewards find no driver guilty of breaching the regulation.

“However, it is clear that the speed and braking capabilities of F1 cars, especially while trying to maintain required temperatures in tires and brakes, are in tension with the ten car length separation behind the safety car traditionally specified in the regulations.

“This needs to be a point of emphasis in future driver briefings, to ensure the drivers collectively agree on how best to address this challenge before an unfortunate incident occurs.”