FIA staunchly defended over 'absolutely right' F1 safety decision

Alex Wurz has spoken out in support of the FIA and Race Control at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for making two differing decisions which have labelled as inconsistent.

In the aftermath of the race at Imola, fans - and some corners of the media - questioned the call to introduce a virtual safety car (VSC) to remove Esteban Ocon's stricken Haas but a full safety car to retrieve Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes.

The suggestion was those decisions were contradictory, as both incidents occurred in close proximity. However, Wurz, who is the chairperson of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), has rejected such claims.

The former Benetton, McLaren and Williams driver has explained the contrasting circumstances of the two situations in the wake of clarity being sought on the subject.

"As I got a lot of questions in the last 24 hours, post-Imola from journalists and from fans as a TV pundit, media expert, and of course, it also touches my role as a chairman of the GPDA...," the three-time podium finisher stated in a video post he shared on social media.

"The question was about, was there an inconsistency in the decision making of Race Control, of the FIA about the virtual safety car with the incident, or the stopping, of the Haas, Esteban Ocon, in the exit of Turn Seven in the race, and then a little bit later, Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes came to stop also in the exit of Turn Seven, a little bit later.

"It seemed to be a similar incident, but already live on Austrian TV I stated: I think the race director has done the absolute right decisions, because where Esteban Ocon's car came to a stop, it was reasonably simple to push it back into the opening.

"Kimi Antonelli stopped a little bit higher, the grass is not even there, there's a compression in there, and it was just too far, so the race director had to deploy a lifting vehicle...

"And the moment such a vehicle is on track and needs to go over the track to get to that car, he has absolutely the right decision made to call it a safety car."

The Austrian also highlighted how Race Control's decision making was directly in keeping with the push for greater safety in F1 after the tragic death of Jules Bianchi following his accident with a recovery vehicle at Suzuka in 2014.

"Let's not forget what happened in Japan with Jules Bianchi, and the drivers and everyone said: 'We need to learn from this', he added.

"So this decision was not inconsistent, very much the opposite. It was a very good decision in the name of safety.

"And this is what I've stated straight away on live TV, and [I] want to address these concerns here, and thank the Race Control and FIA for this decision, because it is absolutely in the name of safety - and it is very consistent to what we have agreed and said over the last few years."