Trulli: Permanent Stewards an 'Unreachable' Goal

Italian Jarno Trulli has said that having permanent race stewards in Formula One is impossible due to political reasons.

The Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) met ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix and one of the issues discussed was the possibility of having the same stewards in every race in order to have consistent rulings when it comes to racing incidents.

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya recently reiterated his calls for permanent stewards after an incident with World Champion Michael Schumacher during the start of the San Marino Grand Prix. The Williams driver was unhappy about Schumacher getting away with his move on the opening lap at Imola.

Trulli, however, said that having permanent stewards was an "unreachable" goal.

"We understand that the objective of having the same stewards at every circuit is politically unreachable," Trulli told Gazzetta dello Sport. "It would have been a way to have more consistent rulings, which is something badly needed, and it's demonstrated by the case raised by Montoya."

The Renault driver also urged Formula One's ruling body, the FIA, to listen to the drivers before imposing new regulations.

"We would like the F1 governing body to consult us before taking important decisions," added the Italian. "After all, even if not binding, our opinion could be useful from a technical standpoint. We are the ones going racing, aren't we? I think our point of view could be important regarding safety issues.

"We have no intention to influence decisions regarding new rules. But we think we have a say in the matter so we intend to go along this line. On this matter we decided last night that from now on, after the meeting with safety delegate Charlie Whiting, we'll stick around to talk about our problems."