Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Mosley: no one to blame for Monza shunt

FIA president Max Mosley says no one was to blame for the accident which claimed the life of a marshal at Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

Fire marshal Paolo Ghislimberti was struck by a flying tyre after an opening lap accident at Monza's second chicane involving the Jordans of Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli, Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari, David Coulthard's McLaren and the Arrows of Pedro de la Rosa. He was treated at the trackside for serious head and chest injuries, but died shortly afterwards in a Monza hospital.

Barrichello blamed Frentzen for initiating the incident, but Mosley, the president of motorsport's governing body, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "The stewards held an inquiry afterwards and interviewed all the five drivers concerned and came to the conclusion it was a racing accident for which no one person could be blamed.

"Inevitably when you have a multiple pile-up - even on the roads - you will find one or more of the drivers will be very clear in their minds about who was to blame.

"But all one can say," he added, "is the stewards are completely independent and if there was someone to blame they certainly would have penalised him."

Frentzen's team boss Eddie Jordan also defended his driver following Barrichello's claim that the German should be banned for 10 races.

"It's unfair to blame Heinz-Harald," he said. "I have looked at the accident from many different angles and as far as I am concerned, it was a racing incident."

Mosley also spoke about the paradox of marshals standing in potentially dangerous positions, saying: "This marshal was behind the barrier but he was standing up and well exposed.

"It would be possible to reduce the risks for them by having rules that say any marshal who doesn't have to actually watch the cars at all times should be completely concealed behind the barrier. But if we did that, we probably wouldn't have any marshals.

"The attraction to them is to be so close to the action. I think everybody realises that when you are that close to the action, if you are exposed you have got absolutely no chance of getting out of the way if something comes.

"If you are going to have cars racing each other sometimes at speeds in excess of 200mph in a confined space, there is always going to be an element of risk," he added. "All you can do is minimise it."

The five cars impounded by the Italian authorities on Sunday after the accident were released on Monday night. The prosecuting magistrate investigating the case is expected to announce shortly that no further action will be taken against any of the parties involved.

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article The tracks of Michael’s tears
Next article Italian GP race analysis

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe