Stewards put SC rule on drivers' agenda after Schumacher near-miss

The FIA stewards have called for a discussion with drivers at their next briefing on the rule that calls for them to maintain a 10-length gap while running in formation behind the Safety Car.

During a caution period in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, Mick Schumacher narrowly avoided a catastrophic collision with Yuki Tsunoda.

As the field ran in formation behind the SC, the Japanese driver, who was running behind his AlphaTauri teammate Pierre Gasly, suddenly braked, which forced Schumacher to swerve left.

After the near-miss, the shocked Haas charger told his team: "Holy cow, that was close!"

After the race, all three drivers were summoned to the stewards who had put the incident under investigation.

Although no further action was taken, the FIA stewards strongly recommended that the 10-car length rule be "a point of emphasis" in future driver briefings.

• Read also: Team Talk - Sunday in Melbourne

"The stewards find no driver guilty of breaching the regulation," they said in their post-race note.

"However, it is clear that the speed and braking capabilities of F1 cars, especially while trying to maintain required temperatures in tyres 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."

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