Brazil GP Safety Concerns Slammed as 'Laughable' by Stuck

GP Complaints ‘Laughable’ as Stuck Questions Driver Grit

07/11/2024

A veteran racer deems complaints on Brazilian GP conditions “laughable,” urging drivers to adapt rather than blame track challenges.

While standing in for an ill Kevin Magnussen at Haas F1, rookie Oliver Bearman radioed his engineer, saying, “Come on, talk to the FIA; it’s really dangerous. I’m just trying not to die.”

Even George Russell, a more experienced driver and director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, accused the governing body of prioritizing “TV action” over dangerously wet conditions.

“I was shocked. I couldn’t even keep my foot on the throttle on the straight. I guess the FIA likes the action.”

Hans-Joachim Stuck, who competed in over 80 Grands Prix in the 1970s, dismissed these complaints as “laughable.”

“Are they race drivers or not?”

“Do they only want to drive in perfect conditions? Just ease off the throttle and manage the situation. This isn’t a leisurely drive on Kurfürstendamm for a coffee.”

Stuck also criticized how the FIA delayed Saturday’s qualifying due to the weather.

“It would have given those not in the best car another chance to prove themselves. On one hand, safety is, of course, paramount, but on the other, the world’s best race drivers are in these cars.”

“If it’s slippery in one spot, just lift off the throttle.”

There’s no denying that the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend saw a series of spins and crashes, also blamed on Pirelli’s wet tires and the track’s new bumpy, oily surface.

“Sometimes, it was just driver error,” insisted Stuck. “To me, incidents like these show they’re pushing. With these cars, it’s on a knife-edge.”

“I think it’s fantastic that the drivers keep pushing their limits.”

Brazil GP Safety Concerns Slammed as ‘Laughable’ by Stuck Brazil GP Safety Concerns Slammed as ‘Laughable’ by Stuck

Full 2025 F1 testing results

Carlos Sainz
1
CARLOS
SAINZ
Leader
Lewis Hamilton
2
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+0.031s
Charles Leclerc
3
CHARLES
LECLERC
+0.083s
George Russell
4
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+0.197s
Max Verstappen
5
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.218s
Alex Albon
6
ALEX
ALBON
+0.302s
Kimi Antonelli
7
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+0.436s
Oscar Piastri
8
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+0.592s
Pierre Gasly
9
PIERRE
GASLY
+0.692s
Lance Stroll
10
LANCE
STROLL
+0.881s
Liam Lawson
11
LIAM
LAWSON
+0.904s
Jack Doohan
12
JACK
DOOHAN
+1.020s
Yuki Tsunoda
13
YUKI
TSUNODA
+1.149s
Isack Hadjar
14
ISACK
HADJAR
+1.327s
Fernando Alonso
15
FERNANDO
ALONSO
+1.352s
Esteban Ocon
16
ESTEBAN
OCON
+1.380s
Lando Norris
17
LANDO
NORRIS
+1.534s
Gabriel Bortoleto
18
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
+1.709s
Nico Hulkenberg
19
NICO
HULKENBERG
+2.109s
Oliver Bearman
20
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+3.013s

Testing Total Distance Covered by Team

1
Mercedes
458
2
Haas
457
3
Racing Bulls
454
4
Alpine
405
5
Williams
395
6
Ferrari
382
7
McLaren
381
8
Sauber
354
9
Aston Martin
306
10
Red Bull
304
Race Center
Australia Flag
Australian GP
13 Mar - 16 Mar
FP1
14 MAR 01:30
FP2
14 MAR 05:00
FP3
15 MAR 01:30
QU
15 MAR 05:00
RACE
16 MAR 04:00
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Australian Flag
Australian
Albert Park
16 Mar
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
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