Mick Schumacher has insisted a ‘serious discussion’ has to happen over the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix track following his terrifying crash.
The Haas driver was involved in a horrifying collision yesterday, which saw qualifying red flagged. The German collided with a wall at high speed and he was taken to hospital following the crash.
Thankfully it was confirmed that physically he was in a good condition despite the terrifying scenes as his car disintegrated on impact. The car’s disintegration is designed to absorb the force of the blow, rather than risk the health of the driver inside, and it seemed to have done the job with Schumacher praising those involved in developing the safety of the cars in modern Formula 1.
“I feel alright, not too sore either,” he told Sky Sports. “Just shows the safety of these cars these days. To be able to walk away from this - 20 years ago, people wouldn’t have been able to do that - so thank you to everybody involved in the safety.”
However, the German did suggest that a serious discussion had to take place regarding the circuit’s safety. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen was another who called for changed describing the track as ‘very, very dangerous’.
“I think there’s things we have to have a look at,” Schumacher added. “I don’t know what will happen in the future and we have to have a serious discussion about it.”
For many viewers the crash during qualifying was a hard thing to watch and everyone was relieved when the good news filtered through about Schumacher’s condition. However, he will not be taking part in the race itself largely down to car preservation, following the extensive damage the vehicle sustained.
He explained that, had something else happened in this Grand Prix, then he might not have been able to race in Melbourne. “I want those points in Melbourne,” he added.
The Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia has been hit with plenty of controversy this weekend surrounding the track safety but also the general safety of everyone involved, following a missile attack in Jeddah on Friday.
The missile stuck a nearby oil facility during the first practice session with teams and drivers locked into late-night meetings deciding whether to proceed with the weekend as planned. Overall it was decided to carry on with the event.
In the lead-up to qualifying team bosses defended the decision to keep racing, with some criticising the call. Ralf Schumacher - Mick’s uncle - was one vocal opponent who said F1 should ‘pack up and leave’.
Unsurprisingly, one this weekend has drawn to a close the future of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix could be one that is hotly debated for some time.
