Safety makes F1's red flag controversy a difficult debate

LONDON : Formula One was accused of putting entertainment before sport in Sunday's crash-strewn and triple-stopped Australian Grand Prix but whether all those red flags needed to be thrown is a difficult debate.

In defence of race director Niels Wittich, safety always comes first.

    Aston Martin principal Mike Krack, whose Spanish driver Fernando Alonso finished third after the final red flag reset the field to grid positions at the last re-start, said it was easy to criticise from the outside.

    "Was it safe for the cars to go through the debris? It's not easy to judge. But the race director has to make a decision and as far as safety is concerned the decision must be respected even if we don't like it," he said. 

    The race was halted early on when Alex Albon's Williams was stuck on a kerb, with gravel strewn across the track.

    The second stoppage came with four laps to go when Kevin Magnussen's Haas hit the wall, with a tyre ripped off in the impact amid scattered debris.

The third standing start of the day, with two laps of racing to come, then ended in carnage with a third red flag and positions reverting to the previous grid order because the first sector had not been completed.

    The field completed the last lap behind the safety car.

"I don’t feel like the second to last red flag was needed," said McLaren's Lando Norris. "The last one, I’m sure it was because there was a lot of people in the gravel and things, but the one before, possibly not. Maybe to put on a bit of a show."

Mercedes' George Russell, who retired from the race, said the first red flag was "totally unnecessary".

Red Bull's double world champion Max Verstappen also criticised the last stoppage and said officials had created a problem for