(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Twenty years after the death of Ayrton Senna, Formula One awoke yesterday from a sleepless night in Suzuka to face a barrage of questions on Grand Prix safety.
In the wake of Jules Bianchi's life-threatening accident in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix, it was the most intense scrutiny the sport has faced since 1994 when Austrian Roland Ratzenberger and Brazilian Senna lost their lives on successive days at the San Marino Grand Prix.
The questions were clear: why was a motorised safety crane deployed in a dangerous position in torrential rain while the cars continued racing? Why was the race not red-flagged and halted immediately after Adrian Sutil's initial crash at the place where Bianchi also aquaplaned off the circuit?
And, given the advance forecasts of dreadful weather arriving with Typhoon Phanfone, why was the race schedule not advanced to avoid the storms that made the track so treacherous?
The answers were reluctant and unclear, as drivers, experienced observers and paddock pundits avoided placing the blame exclusively at the door or the organisers.
Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda, both three-time champions and men who survived huge accidents, and Max Mosley, former President of the International Motoring Federation (FIA), said the ruling body and race organisers had done all they could and should not be blamed.
Mosley described Bianchi's crash as a "freak accident" and told Sky Sports News that he "cannot fault any of the people involved."
He explained that advancing the race start was not a solution because it was unclear precisely when bad weather would arrive.
Heavy rain, however, has been a feature of many Japanese races since 1976, when Lauda famously retired after two laps and gifted James Hunt the championship, saying "my life is more important than the title."
On Sunday, the race promoters chose to ignore calls to change their schedule and the race finished in a downpour and near-darkness. Many drivers felt an earlier start was the wisest option.
"What's done is done, but they have to analyse it, look back and if they could have or should have done something then they will know for next time," said Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull.
"In hindsight, of course it was wrong, but you never know what is going to happen," said Sergio Perez of Force India.
Williams driver Valtteri Bottas joined the call for an explanation of why a recovery vehicle was on circuit in a dangerous place. "It's easy to say afterwards, but it's worth a good look to see if we can learn from it."
Another question must be asked: why do F1 cars not have cockpits to protect drivers from head injuries?
Senna, the last driver to be killed at a Grand Prix, died from head injuries and since then fellow-Brazilian Felipe Massa, Spanish test driver Maria de Villota and on Sunday
Bianchi have suffered severe head injuries.
Car safety has progressed rapidly and impressively since 1994, enabling many drivers to survive unharmed in accidents that would previously have been serious or fatal, but open cockpits still mean drivers' heads remain unprotected.
When Senna died, Michael Schumacher won the Imola race to embark on his record-breaking career and it was seen as ironic this year that, after 307 Grands Prix, he suffered near-fatal head injuries while skiing.
As the F1 circus heads to Sochi this week for Sunday's inaugural Russian Grand Prix, Bianchi's fight for life should stimulate a new look at the introduction of cockpits and an overhaul of the safety procedures for racing in torrential rain.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.