F1 News: Complaints about São Paulo GP conditions 'laughable'

(GMM) A motor racing legend has slammed as “laughable” complaints that the conditions at the São Paulo Brazilian GP were too dangerous to race in.

As he filled in for the ill Kevin Magnussen at Haas, rookie Oliver Bearman radioed his engineer and declared: “Come on, talk to the FIA – this is really dangerous.

“I’m trying not to die.”

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 03, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool — Master in the rain – Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 on track during the F1 São Paulo Brazil GP at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 03, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Even the much more experienced George Russell, a senior director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, also accused the governing body of caring more about “action” for the television rather than the dangerously rainy conditions.

“I was shocked,” he said. “I couldn’t even keep my foot on the throttle on the straight. I guess the FIA likes action.”

Hans-Joachim Stuck, who entered over 80 grands prix in the 70s, described the complaints as “laughable”.

“Are they racing drivers or not?” the 73-year-old German, also a two-time Le Mans winner and son of pre-WW2 racer Hans Stuck, told Eurosport.

“Do they only want to drive in perfect conditions? All you have to do is take your foot off the gas and master the situation. This isn’t a drive along Kurfurstendamm to have a coffee.”

Stuck also hit out at the way the FIA postponed qualifying on Saturday due to the torrential weather.

“It would have given those people who aren’t in the best car another chance to prove themselves,” he said. “On the one hand, safety is of course paramount, but on the other hand, the best racing drivers in the world are in those cars.

“If it’s slippery in one place, you just have to take your foot off the gas.”

There is no denying, however, that the São Paulo Brazilian GP weekend hosted a spate of spins and crashes, also blamed on Pirelli’s wet-weather tires and the bumpy and oily new track surface.

“Sometimes they were just simple driving errors,” Stuck insisted. “For me, incidents like that show that they are pushing themselves to the limit. With these cars, it’s a ride on a razor’s edge.

“I think it’s great that the drivers are still pushing themselves to the limit.”