The death of Indycar driver Dan Wheldon is making waves even in the world of formula one.
As a Briton and a former track rival of contemporaries including Jenson Button, the 33-year-old was well-known in the F1 paddock and his death has been felt as a big blow.

Not surprisingly, formula one figures suggest Indycar has a lot to learn from F1.

“It is the most dangerous form of motor racing at the moment,” 1979 world champion Jody Scheckter, who wants his son Tomas to quit Indycar, told the BBC.

Also criticised since the crash has been the small size of the Las Vegas speedway, the large number of competing cars, the skills of some of the drivers and the very nature of high speed oval racing.

Former Super Aguri driver Anthony Davidson, a former junior rival of Wheldon’s, said: “The safety record in Indycar is not good and I would never drive there. It’s just not worth it. The cars are agricultural.”

Agreed David Coulthard – who moved to German touring cars after retiring from F1 in 2008 – in his Telegraph column: “I could have moved my family over there and made a life for myself in the United States.

“But the risk-reward ratio was simply too high for me. Formula one, I felt, was at an acceptable level but Indycar was, and is, probably 20 years behind F1 in terms of safety.”

Added 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell: “Formula one does an exemplary job.”

Coulthard added: “With any luck it (Wheldon’s death) will spur on the IRL to improve its safety record. Say what you like about Max Mosley but one thing that we in formula one must all thank him for was his response to (the deaths at) Imola in 1994.”

Sir Jackie Stewart agreed: “I think there needs to be more discipline by the (Indycar) governing body. If drivers do consistently collide with each other, there should be heavier penalties.”

British Racing Drivers’ Club president Derek Warwick said: “They need to understand the quality of the drivers that are in the field as well.

“With formula one the drivers are all great drivers who have won championships from working their way up from formula 3 to GP2 before they get a super licence to be able to race.

“I sometimes question the depth of talent in Indycar races and that will lead to inexperience and the inexperienced generally end up having accidents. They need to tweak what they’re doing a little bit,” said the 162 grand prix veteran.

Former McLaren driver Mark Blundell, who has also raced in America, added: “These kinds of cars shouldn’t have been running on these kinds of circuits.”

Stewart told Sky Sports: “It was such high speed on such a small track with too many cars together and not that many top racing drivers in there.

“It may be that we have to have smaller engines with smaller horsepower and slower speeds in Indycar racing.”

But Johnny Herbert, who flirted with a switch to America after retiring from F1 in 2000, thinks Indycar fatalities are inevitable.

“They will continue as long as this extreme form of motor sport exists,” the Briton wrote in his column for The National.

“The tremendous speed at which the cars travel, while separated by inches on those steep oval tracks, means you will likely see more deaths, no matter what safety measures are implemented.”

Derek Warwick will make his third appearance as an FIA steward this weekend in Turkey.

The 56-year-old British veteran of 146 grands prix fulfilled the role last year in Spain and Hungary.

Working alongside Warwick and experienced Swedish steward Lars Osterlind in Istanbul is 25-year-old female steward Silvia Bellot, a Spanish graduate of the FIA’s trainee steward programme.

Hungaroring steward Derek Warwick has revealed he wanted to disqualify Michael Schumacher during Sunday’s race.

Ultimately, the seven time world champion was handed a post-race ten-position grid penalty for the next event in Belgium, after pushing his former Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello towards the pitwall in a 290kph overtaking duel.

But former grand prix driver Warwick told BBC radio’s Five Live Breakfast that showing the seven time world champion a black flag “would have shown a better example to our young drivers”.

“By the time we got the video evidence we ran out of time and we had to do it retrospectively,” added the veteran of 162 F1 races mainly in the 80s.

Schumacher apologised for the incident on his website on Monday, but Warwick admitted it was “disappointing” how the 41-year-old German “handled” his interview with the stewards after the race.

“You could disqualify him from the next grand prix, or two grands prix,” said the 55-year-old.

“But we felt a ten place penalty is a big penalty to carry for Spa.  Hopefully he will learn from that and remember that the new stewards will not tolerate that driving,” added Warwick.

David Coulthard wrote in his latest Telegraph column that he thinks Schumacher used to get away with his famous “arrogance” because he was a winner.

“Now that he is being regularly shown up by his younger teammate, such lapses of character will not wash,” said the Scot.

“Until he made his apology, the calls for him to quit immediately were shrill,” added the Scot.  “I wonder whether his mea culpa will make any difference.”

Michael Schumacher has received a ten-position grid penalty after Sunday’s Hungarian grand prix.

Rubens Barrichello was furious at the Hungaroring after narrowly avoiding the pitwall as his former Ferrari teammate vigorously defended tenth position.

The stewards agreed with the veteran Brazilian, ordering Schumacher’s Mercedes ten places down the grid at Spa-Francorchamps later this month.

The FIA officials, including former driver Derek Warwick, said the German 41-year-old “illegitimately impeded” Barrichello, with whom he shared the Ferrari team for six years.

“For me it should have been a one race ban,” said Lotus technical boss Mike Gascoyne.

David Coulthard added: “It could have been a horrible accident. He never knows when to give it up, but perhaps now he should with his comeback.”

The stewards also penalised Mercedes $50,000 for releasing Nico Rosberg into the pitlane with a loose wheel, and a similar fine was levied against Renault for Robert Kubica’s pitlane crash with Adrian Sutil.

Derek Warwick will return to F1 stewarding duties at the Hungaroring this weekend.

In May in Barcelona, the former F1 racer made his debut as the driver representative on the FIA officials’ panel.

Briton Warwick, 55 and a veteran of 162 grands prix between 1981 and 1993, did not win a race during his tenures with Toleman, Renault, Brabham, Arrows, Lotus and Footwork.

Johnny Herbert will this weekend once again act as F1′s driver steward.

The 45-year-old Briton, who won three grands prix during his career spanning 165 races until 2000, debuted in the role in Malaysia.

Since the 2010 season opener, former drivers including Alain Prost, Alex Wurz, Derek Warwick and Damon Hill have also served alongside the three regular stewards.

But former Benetton, Tyrrell, Lotus, Ligier, Sauber, Stewart and Jaguar driver Herbert is the first driver to officiate at more than one grand prix.

Also touted to appear in 2010 are Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Mika Salo and Nigel Mansell.

(GMM)

Damon Hill is no longer sure former drivers should be acting as full FIA stewards at grands prix.

The 1996 world champion said he has been receiving “hate mail” ever since he and the three regular stewards signed off on a 20-second time penalty in the wake of Michael Schumacher’s late pass on Fernando Alonso at Monaco.

In 2010, a new initiative by new FIA president Jean Todt has seen former drivers including Alain Prost, Alex Wurz, Derek Warwick and Johnny Herbert act as stewards.

Hill’s duties were at Monaco, where he admitted his former title nemesis Schumacher had a “wry smile” when he walked into the stewards room in the wake of the Monaco incident.

The 49-year-old told British newspapers he has been receiving “stinging emails” accusing him of prejudice ever since.

“I was uncomfortable being put in that position of being a full FIA representative.  My expertise is as a driver rather than a lawmaker or interpreter of regulations,” said Hill.

“Partly my discomfort was because I was called on to make a ruling on an incident involving Michael.

“I know most people will believe me when I say I acted entirely properly and correctly, but perhaps it might be more appropriate for drivers to act as consultants to the stewards rather than as stewards,” he added.

Schumacher said he believes Hill would have acted appropriately.

“I know Damon.  He is a good guy,” said the German.

(GM)

May 5 (GMM)  Former F1 driver Derek Warwick will be the driver representative in the stewards room this weekend in Barcelona, it has been confirmed.

After Alain Prost, Tom Kristensen, Johnny Herbert and Alex Wurz fulfilled the FIA duties at the first four races of 2010, it is now the turn of Briton Warwick, a veteran of 162 grands prix between 1981 and 1993.

Another notable F1 steward in Spain this weekend is Nicolas Deschaux, the president of France’s motor racing federation FFSA.