US GP safety defended

Button has criticised the decision not to stop the race

Formula One's governing body has defended safety procedures following Ralf Schumacher's crash at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) also justified the decision not to stop the race at Indianapolis.

"We require emergency medical personnel to arrive at an incident within two minutes," said an FIA spokesman.

"This was achieved and we were therefore satisfied with the response time," he added.

Schumacher crashed heavily at the end of the 10th lap when his BMW Williams hit a wall on the fastest part of the Indianapolis track.

Feedback from the track was that it was quite possible to avoid the debris An FIA spokesman

After spending a night in hospital with concussion, he has now flown back to Salzburg to recover from back injuries suffered during the incident.

The FIA's statement comes after several drivers, including McLaren's David Coulthard, criticised the levels of safety during the race.

"I'm disappointed if Ralf was sitting there for a few minutes, because that's life or death stuff. That needs to be looked at," Coulthard said earlier this week.

The FIA spokesman said the governing body was satisfied with both safety procedures and the marshals' actions.

"The safety car, medical car and fast intervention cars were deployed by race control without delay and the first car to reach the incident was the closest emergency medical vehicle," the spokesman said.

"Track marshals and non-medical personnel attending the scene are specifically instructed not to touch a driver and to wait for medical experts to arrive.

"A well-meaning intervention by someone other than an expert could have very serious consequences for the driver involved."

Jonathan Legard's view

BAR's Jenson Button, Schumacher's former Williams' team-mate, said he believed the race should have been halted.

But the FIA spokesman said races were red flagged only if the track was blocked or it was clearly too dangerous to continue.

"Race control was in constant touch with the safety car and the feedback from the track was that it was quite possible to avoid the debris," he said.

"The start of a race is potentially the most dangerous moment and is therefore something to be avoided if a safety car deployment can manage the situation safely and effectively which was the case at Indianapolis."