While the chaotic finale of the Australian GP is being investigated, Verstappen and Alonso accuse the organisation: “The problems created themselves”

He Australian Grand Prix, disputed over the weekend, it left various situations that generated the discontent of some riders. After repeated red flag interruptions during the competition, the Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and the Spanish Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) who was third, spoke about it and on Monday unloaded his criticisms on the organization of the Melbourne race, which ended in chaos after three red flags.

“The situation was very clear. I did not understand the need for the red flag. Had there been a safety car and then a fast start, there wouldn’t have been all those accidents and we would have had a normal race finale”, condemned the Dutchman Verstappen, current two-time world champion, in statements collected by the newspaper Tuttosport.

The pilot added that “eventually the problems created themselves in the direction of the race”, in a direct criticism of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the organizers of the Australian GP, third official test of the season.

The three red flags displayed during the race are “under the eyes” of the pilots: the first for the start Alex Albon (Williams), who complicated the track floor when he spun, cheated and filled part of the track with rocks; the second for the rubber lost by Kevin Magnussen (Haas) and third at the restart with two laps to go, due to numerous contacts, especially those between the Alpini: Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.

On the other side the Spaniards Fernando Alonso admitted that “surprised all the red flags” and argued that “at the first flag perhaps the FIA ​​has more information than we do, so they must have had their reasons for deciding that measure”.

“As for the second red flag, the safety car is made for this kind of situation. We have a different idea, but only the FIA ​​has all the data available to make decisions“, underlined the Spaniard.

The next Formula 1 test will be on April 30 at the Baku circuit in Azerbaijan.

“It could have been awful”

After three red flags, the chaotic Australian Grand Prix culminated in a late-race crowd invasion that could have ended in tragedy.

“It could have been terrible”the director of the Australian Grand Prix said on Monday, Andrew Westcottpromising a thorough investigation into what transpired at the event.

“We have a large number of video surveillance cameras ea large number of images that we have to examine over the next couple of weeks,” the test director told Australian ABC. “Motor racing is dangerous, it could have been awful“, He added.

THE International Automobile Federation (FIA) summoned the test organization to ask for explanations, believing that the incident constitutes a serious violation of the sporting code.

The media published images of crowds of spectators cross and climb the safety barriersa few meters from the cars still moving, at the end of a chaotic race won by reigning world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), in the presence of some 131,000 spectators.

Some have reached the Haas of German Nico Hulkenbergstopped at the exit of the second corner after finishing seventh in the race.

“The security measures and protocols that needed to work for the event they have not been appliedwho created a dangerous situation for spectators, drivers and race officials,” the FIA ​​noted. To put this into context, the cars are traveling at speeds that can reach 300 kilometers per hourSometimes.

“Spectators can enter the track after the end of the race and the passage of the safety car. But they broke one of the barriers that we still don’t know howWestacott added.