Fernando Alonso believes the rising weight of F1's new-generation cars was a factor in Mick Schumacher's Haas chassis splitting in half on impact in Monaco.
Schumacher lost control of his VF-22 on the exit of Turn 14, spun and heavily hit the TecPro barrier at the Swimming Pool complex, a 22G impact that pulverized the Haas, separating the gearbox assembly from its chassis.
Schumacher fortunately walked away unscathed from the crash, but many drivers were initially understandably worried for the young German's fate given the extent of the damage.
The implementation of F1's new regulations has seen the minimum of an F1 car, without fuel, increase to 798 kg, or a 46 kg hike since last season.
Alonso believes the rise means that cars are encountering a lot more inertia when they hit a barrier or retaining wall as was the case for Schumacher earlier this year in Saudi Arabia.
"I remember also seeing the Jeddah accident and then again the car split in two," said Alonso. "The gearbox was not in the chassis and again [in Monaco].
"So luckily he’s okay but it’s a big, big accident. Hopefully we can learn something from today as well.
“I don’t think I see it as a car issue, just how hard you hit with these cars," he said. "They are very heavy, more than 800 kilos so the inertia when they go into the walls, it’s a lot higher than the past.
"So as I said, probably we will learn something from today as well."
AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly admitted he was shocked when he came upon the wreckage ahead of the race being red flagged.
"When I saw the gearbox completely out, it was quite shocking," Gasly said. "For the red flag, they took some time, but it was the right thing to do."
Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas also acknowledged that a split chassis is never a good sign.
"It’s always weird when you see a car in two halves," said the Finn. "It’s not how it’s supposed to look but the main thing is he’s okay."
As for Sebastian Vettel, Schumacher's close friend and mentor, the Aston Martin charger said that he was "happy to hear on the radio that he was fine before I got to the incident".
Vettel also urged the media to extend some leniency to the Haas driver.
"It's so easy to get it wrong so quickly," Vettel said. "I don't know exactly what happened to him, I haven't seen it. The main thing is he is OK
"There is no doubt that he is capable of doing a lot more than what he is showing at the minute. But I think you guys need to give him a bit of a break."
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