"It was shocking to see that he was so deep in the barrier," says Vettel
Saturday 10 October 2015 17:18, UK
Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen have questioned the performance of the Tecpro barriers following Carlos Sainz's accident in Russia.
The Spaniard brought Practice Three to an early end in Sochi after losing control at the high-speed turn 12 and speared head on into the barriers at turn 13.
Although the Tecpro barriers are designed to crumple and absorb the impact, Sainz's Toro Rosso was able to dig in under the barriers, which then rose up around the driver's head. The car eventually came to a rest after puncturing the solid Armco barrier behind the Tecpro.
"It was shocking to see that he was so deep in the barrier and that he was covered in the barrier," said Vettel, who is one of the senior members of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.
"If you look at the accident of Max [Verstappen] in Monaco and compare it to Carlos's accident today it was very different in how the barriers worked and that is something we need to understand because the idea is obviously for the barrier not to come on top of you or the car to go under the barrier.
"It is something we need to understand, it took longer because of that. I don't know if there was a problem with how they installed the Tecpro barriers or if it was how he crashed, but for sure that is something that needs to be avoided."
The Ferrari driver's views were echoed by Verstappen who was concerned by how close the barriers came to his team-mate's head.
"It is not ideal and I think the crash I had in Monaco was better," Verstappen said. "I think they need to find a solution because it shouldn't happen that it goes up.
"Of course it was a help, but it shouldn't go up, because then it can also hit his head."
Despite being kept in hospital overnight, Sainz is keen to race on Sunday. However, the experienced Vettel believes the Spaniard needs to rest, recalling the crash Sergio Perez had in Monaco in 2011 which caused him to miss the following race in Canada.
"It would be great to have him with us tomorrow, but after such a heavy impact I think he needs to be patient," Vettel added.
"I remember Sergio Perez having an accident and wanting to start the next day, but he couldn't even start the grand prix after that. I think it is wiser to take time."
The Tecpro barriers also came under scrutiny during a GP2 race which followed F1 qualifying, when a much less ferocious accident caused a prolonged red-flag period due to barrier repairs.
