GPDA addresses Mugello restart crash in letter to FIA

The Grand Prix Drivers Association has written a letter to FIA race director Michael Masi requesting talks on how to improve the safety of rolling restarts after the mayhem that unfolded at Mugello.

Drivers will discuss the topic during Friday's FIA briefing in Sochi and at the GPDA meeting that will follow.

Haas' Romain Grosjean - who only nearly avoided the restart crash at the Tuscan Grand Prix - has discussed the matter with fellow GPDA director Sebastian Vettel, the association's president Alex Wurz and its legal counsel Anastasia Fowle before taking things forward to the FIA.

• Read also: Steiner recommends 'restart zone' to avoid rolling start crashes

"We've had a few discussions with Seb, Alex and Anastasia on the GPDA WhatsApp group," said Grosjean. "And we wrote a letter to Michael Masi and tried to find out what we can do better.

"I don't think there was anything standing out in Mugello in terms of restarts. It was a lot of small things that led to a big crash at the end, but maybe a few tweaks in some of the rules could possibly help.

"And that's what we want to discuss, to avoid such a scary moment. And I guess we were kind of lucky with everything, that we didn't end up with someone being hurt, because it was quite a high-speed crash, and also a car flying into the fence could have been a bit naughty."

McLaren's Carlos Sainz, who was caught up in the restart chaos and eliminated from the race, said he wants to hear what his colleagues have to say in the drivers' briefing but insisted the problem needs to be given "a proper look" by everyone in private.

"I think we need to take some lessons and learn from it," said Sainz. "I think we as drivers didn't make our lives easy by some people second guessing the start, and making it very complicated for the people at the back. And we're definitely going to discuss that tomorrow.

"I think we need to analyse together with the FIA what we can do better because the crash was huge. And it could have been a lot worse, I think, especially when I look back.

"So how are we going to avoid that in the future needs to be discussed privately, but I definitely think we need to have a proper look all together, have all our thoughts, brainstorm a bit of how can we try and avoid it next time.

"I personally want to wait for the drivers briefing to hear everyone's opinion and to analyse what some drivers have to say and why they left those big gaps. And why the safety car lights were late out and all those things.

"I want to hear everyone's opinion before taking some conclusions, and before forming a bit of a group and discussions to potentially make things better next time.

"I think we just need to sit down clearly, discuss, have everyone's opinion, and see what we can do better. But I don't think it's right either to criticise drivers or criticise the FIA publicly, I feel like it should be discussed internally always."

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