Drivers: F1 mustn't rush safety response after Bianchi accident

Although the events at Suzuka are likely to be discussed at length during Friday night's FIA drivers' briefing, leading competitors believe that it is better to wait for a full report into the accident before working out how to alter things going forward.

Sebastian Vettel, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), said: "I think it is very difficult right now to give you the golden answer.

"It was a lot of circumstances that probably led to that type of accident. For sure there is something you can learn. Right now we can try to digest what happened and then make the right conclusions.

"It would be wrong only a couple of days after with all events going on and all happenings since Sunday to come up with something that probably hasn't been thought through."

Force India's Sergio Perez made it clear, however, that the drivers were united in demanding a proper answer from the FIA about the circumstances that led to Bianchi's crash.

"We have to work as drivers, together with the FIA, to improve what happened," he said.

"We want clarification on what happened - all the drivers are together - and we want to know what happened.

"It's pointless me talking more through what has happened, because we want to know the full detail.

"The FIA is, I think, doing a full investigation. We want to have good clarification on what happened and how we could have avoided it."

SAFETY QUEST MUST NEVER STOP

Drivers were agreed, however, that lessons must be learned from what happened last weekend, especially in relation to dealing with incidents and the recovery of vehicles.

Romain Grosjean reckoned that the safety improvements introduced by the FIA in recent years should be acknowledged - and also that Bianchi was hugely unlucky to strike the crane.

"I think everyone is looking at how to improve things, and in the past every time something was done it was going in the right direction," he said.

"Two metres on the right, nothing happens, four metres on the left, nothing happens.

"So it's a bit of destiny, and it's hard to accept."

Perez added that an obvious change should be in mandating the use of a safety car when recovery vehicles were on track.

"In the future, when there is a tractor coming out to pick up the car we need a safety car no matter what conditions," he said.

"There is always a risk, because you expose the marshals - a lot of people.

"You can have people running out of brakes; there are so many factors that you never expect. If you have the tractor there it's a big problem."