• Force India

Drivers need to push for improved safety - Perez

© Getty Images

Enlarge

Sergio Perez says the drivers need to work together with the FIA to learn lessons from Jules Bianchi's crash and bring in new safety measures for the future.

Bianchi remains in hospital with severe brain trauma after his accident at last Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. He hit a recovery vehicle at high speed after losing control of his Marussia in wet conditions and was taken to hospital soon after.

The FIA is investigating the incident and when it produces a report Perez said the drivers will act as they feel appropriate.

"You know these things [dangers] are always there," he said. "That's why we have to work as the drivers with the FIA to improve on what happened on Sunday. We want clarification on what happened. All the drivers are together and we want to know what happened. I think it's pointless me talking more through what has happened because we want to know the full details. The FIA is doing the investigation so we want to have good clarification on what happened and how we could have avoided it.

"It's very difficult, all the time your subconscious is thinking about our friend Jules. What happened on Sunday was a big shock for all of us and for everyone who is involved in the F1 paddock, it was a big shock. You always realise the risk is there but you think it cannot happen to you, it will not happen to you. When you see that it happened to a driver who was next to you last Sunday and now he is not with you, it's a very difficult situation. Now you think a lot of things."

Perez said it was a reminder that Formula One must continue to make the sport safer.

"None of us can be happy with safety because there is always things that we can improve. We cannot rest on anything and what happened to Jules is proof. For the good of him, for the good of his family we need to really move forward in terms of safety on what happened to Jules. We want to go forward, we have to improve what happened to Jules. Hopefully in the future you will never see an accident like this in the whole of Formula One; being a tractor there and then a car colliding with it cannot happen. We cannot have this."

Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez said the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, headed by ex-F1 driver Alex Wurz, has been a forum for the drivers to communicate with each other.

"Alex [Wurz] is doing a job on that, communication is the main thing. We as a group need to be together and be close to the FIA. I think the opinion of the drivers is very well considered these days and it needs to continue like that. I'm confident that Charlie, the FIA and everybody is doing things in the best way possible and with the best intentions to make things better for everyone."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.