Schumacher and Alonso face inquiry into crashes

Max Mosley, the president of motorsport's governing body, the FIA, indicated here yesterday that Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso are under investigation following intemperate driving under yellow caution flags during this month's Brazilian Grand Prix.

The world champion crashed out of the rain-soaked race, narrowly missing a crane that was lifting away the previously damaged cars of Juan Pablo Montoya and Antonio Pizzonia, while the young Spaniard hit the wreckage of Mark Webber's Jaguar, also while the track was under yellows.

"Double-waved yellow flags mean slow down and be prepared to stop," Mosley said, in reference to Schumacher's accident. "It is inconceivable that a driver would go on under doubled waved yellows." He said that an observer's report on that incident had been sent to the FIA, together with one on Alonso.

"I think the race stewards wanted to take some action against Alonso in Brazil, but as he was in the hospital afterwards they were unable to impose any action there without giving him a hearing first," Mosley added. "But I gather a report from an FIA observer is now with the FIA and further consideration may be given to it. Clearly, something went wrong."

Mosley said that the confusion that initially saw victory handed to Kimi Raikkonen instead of Giancarlo Fisichella arose due to a failure of procedures. "In a nutshell, procedures were not followed. Normally the chief timekeeper will produce a signed sheet of result. Unfortunately there was not a sheet signed by the timekeeper and, in the absence of that, confusion reigned."

Mosley's first grand prix appearance of the year was arranged so he could meet with team principals here yesterday to discuss the status quo of the new regulations, having made it clear some weeks ago that the only likely changes would be to procedures rather than the rules themselves. It duly emerged that the rest of the season will see more of the same.

"We now have complete agreement from all of the competing teams that we will continue the procedures adopted at the beginning of season, and the rules adopted at the end of October 2002, with only minor changes.

"Teams may use their spare car in the various sessions, but the two cars they use for qualifying on Saturday afternoon have to be the two cars they race, or else they will have to start from the pit lane. Also, if a car requires an engine change prior to a race, that car must start from the back of grid to avoid any controversy whether it was actually necessary to change the engine."

What this means is that cars will continue to qualifying with disparate (and secret) fuel loads, which influences their performance levels on race day and generates the unpredictability that has made the season so gripping with three different winners so far, including first victories for Raikkonen and Fisichella and no podium finish for the five-times world champion, Michael Schumacher.

It also means that the cars remain locked up, away from the teams, between Saturday qualifying and the race. "Most teams don't like parc fermé and we fully understand why they don't," Mosley conceded. "If anyone can find a better way we'll be happy with it, but nobody has come up with better method."