F1: Ferrari boss calls for safer driving

Grosjean banned for one race after Belgian GP crash.

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS: Ferrari team chief Stefano Domenicali has called for action to be taken in improving the standards of driving in Formula One and its junior feeder series, following Sunday’s opening lap pile-up at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Domenicali was shocked by the multiple collision that saw world championship leader Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and rival contender Briton Lewis Hamilton of McLaren eliminated from the race. They were taken out when Frenchman Romain Grosjean, of Lotus, who won the GP2 feeder series last year, swerved aggressively at the start and crashed into Hamilton.

The race stewards handed Grosjean, 26, a one-race ban for causing the crash and fined him €50,000. But Domenicali believes further action should be taken to improve driving standards in an effort to prevent further damaging incidents.

“In my view, the most important thing is looking at the behaviour of drivers,” said Domenicali. “It has to start in the championships before Formula One. You see it too often in the other series that drivers are very aggressive and try to do something almost over what it is possible to do.”

Meanwhile, Grosjean admitted his mistake.

“When you love racing this is very hard,” said the Lotus driver. “We know that La Source is a very tough corner. It was a bit of a crazy start as well with Maldonado leaving the grid so early and the Sauber of Kobayashi smoking a lot. I made a mistake and I misjudged the gap with Lewis. I was sure I was in front of him. So a small mistake made a big incident.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2012.