‘Wake-up call’ must be heeded – Stewart

Sir Jackie Stewart believes Formula One drivers are taking too many risks and has warned another serious accident could be imminent.

Charles Leclerc’s drive to his maiden victory at the Belgian Grand Prix took place against the backdrop of the first driver death during a race weekend since Ayrton Senna perished at Imola in 1994.

Leclerc dedicated his win to Anthoine Hubert, the 22-yearold Frenchman who was killed when Juan-Manuel Correa tore through his car at 160mph in Saturday’s Formula Two race.

Daniel Ricciardo later admitted he contemplated withdrawing from the grand prix, while British teenager Lando Norris said he was left shaken by the fatal accident.

“You know what? They might have to get used to it,” Stewart said.

“In my view, there have been far too many incidents over the last 24 or 36 months because there has never been a penalty to the extent we saw this weekend.

“We have seen wings broken, cars going up in air. It even happened on Sunday when Max Verstappen collided with Kimi Raikkonen on the first lap.

“The drivers might now be prepared to recognise that they will have to take fewer liberties because you should never start thinking you are bulletproof. You cannot think you are going to get off with it all the time. This could be a wake-up call.

“The shock and grief that was very evident in Spa is something that is new to this generation.

“Suddenly, everybody is aware that, my God, if we do the wrong thing here, there is going to be a disaster. There hadn’t been a disaster for such a long time.

“It is not impossible for another one to happen. Sometimes they come along in threes. We have seen that with aircraft accidents. It shakes everybody up.”

Stewart, who turned 80 earlier this year, is one of motor racing’s most decorated drivers, with a remarkable strike rate of 27 victories from 99 grands prix and three world championships.

He also survived Formula One’s deadliest era, and it was his campaign which transformed the safety of the sport. Frenchman Jules Bianchi is the only F1 driver to have been killed this century, succumbing to injuries he sustained at the rainhit 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

Monza, the fastest track in F1, will play host to the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday. Lewis Hamilton holds a 65-point championship lead with eight races left.

Jackie Stewart: Drivers urged to cut down on risk-taking.