Former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen has told the FIA that they have to stop panicking after another chaotic race last weekend in Monaco.
Rain began to fall a few minutes before the Monaco Grand Prix was set to get underway but, at start time, it appeared to be fairly light, and the track was relatively dry.
One of the reasons for the initial 16-minute delay was an issue with the start lights but, instead of ordering a Safety Car start, Eduardo Freitas waited until the next heavy bout of rain passed, meaning that green flag running did not get underway until over an hour after it was scheduled to.
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The race was time limited as a result, but Verstappen emphasises that this might not have been the case had race control shown some composure.
“To be honest, I wasn’t left with a good feeling about the race weekend in Monaco,” he wrote in his column on Verstappen.com.
“And that’s putting it mildly. Firstly, I think they should have just started at three o’clock. These days it seems that everyone at race control gets stressed at the first sight of a few drops of rain.
“Sure, it would have been a chaotic start and the teams would have been in doubt as to which tyre would have been the best option but that is what people want to see.”
The Dutchman is also wondering why there is not a backup option in place in case there is a power outage on the starting lights.
“It turned out there were also problems with the starting lights,” added Verstappen.
“[The] FIA or the organisation, whoever is responsible, should make sure there is a back-up for situations like this and that the equipment is in order.
“Now we get starts behind the safety car, which in my view takes the edge off. Especially on a circuit like Monaco.
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“We live in a competitive, professional sport. Things like this cannot happen.”
Jos’ son Max ended the race third after a tricky weekend for the reigning champion, while team-mate Sergio Perez took out the win ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.