06/09/2019
NEWS STORY
Ever the purist, Sebastian Vettel has never made any secret of the fact that he doesn't like the direction in which Formula One is currently heading.
The German, who has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport admits that he hankers for the old days, the circuits, the cars, the engines.
Yet, arriving at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the world's third purpose-built racing circuit, and one which has witnessed more than its fair share of tragedy over the years, the four-time world champion was, like many of his colleagues, still shaken by the death of Anthoine Hubert at Spa last weekend.
Though refusing to pass comment on the circumstances of the crash, or what might be learned from it, the German preferring to wait on the FIA's own investigation, he admitted that the crash had affected him.
Asked about Jackie Stewart's claim that the crash should serve as a "wake-up call" to F1, the German said: "Looking back obviously he was racing at a horrible time where drivers passed away, not regularly but obviously a lot more frequently. So, for sure, you cannot compare his era to our era.
"Obviously he's been around at that time, he's been racing so he knows what it felt like and is able to judge whether it's different or not. I don't think we can have that judgement.
"But, as far as I understand it, it was a bit of a chain of happenings, of situations that led into the final accident but, yeah, I think we all had our moment on Saturday and obviously Sunday, going to the race track and driving the race but to some extent it's part of motorsport.
"It is dangerous, it's part of the thrill, but certainly obviously the last years have been a wake-up with the passing of Jules and now Anthoine.
"It shows that there are still things - even if people think it's too safe and boring - I think there are still things we can do better, we must improve, we must work on, because I'd rather have boring Formula 1 championships to the end of ever and bring him back - so I think there's no question about that trade."
"I was always aware it was a dangerous sport because any time you go at that speed it will always be dangerous," added teammate, Charles Leclerc, a close friend of both Hubert and Jules Bianchi.
"On the other hand, ever time I'm getting into the car, I'm going with the same mind-set. I think we are all trying to do that.
"Even with what happened on Saturday, which was obviously extremely sad and I think it has shocked all of us. Especially the new generation, we haven't known that - or actually the generation that is in Formula 1 like Seb, it's a much safer sport than a long time ago, so yeah, at the end, once you are going into the car, you are trying to be in your zone, trying to think to what you need to do, and you need to race as hard as you can to finish as high as you can.
"So yeah, I think I've always been aware that there was some risk, but sometimes it's obviously a shock when something like this happens."
"I think obviously some of it is true," said Nico Hulkenberg. "Tarmac runoff areas do invite us to keep pushing - because it doesn't have an immediate consequence. I think it needs to be policed.
"Maybe it's also a case where we need to have a customised solution for particular corners like Eau Rouge which is quite unique in the way that we don't really see that corner until we come up on the hill and see what's going on. But yeah, sometimes things get a bit hectic and out-of-control on lap one. I think more particularly - even though that wasn't lap one it was lap two, but still, early in the race when everyone is very bunched up - sometimes you see that happening more in the junior series. We'll see. They're motivated, maybe a bit too excited but yeah, like I say, maybe there's a solution for every corner a little bit different."