JANUARY 3, 2002

Schumacher praises Mosley's safety efforts

Four time World Champion Michael Schumacher praised the efforts of FIA President Max Mosley and the Grand Prix Drivers Association to continue to improve safety in Formula One, but said there are still "some old and grey men" working against those efforts.

FOUR TIME World Champion Michael Schumacher praised the efforts of FIA President Max Mosley and the Grand Prix Drivers Association to continue to improve safety in Formula One, but said there are still "some old and grey men" working against those efforts.

Schumacher told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that he was thankful for Mosley's support of safety improvements and that "some things are done mainly because he is pushing them forward".

The Ferrari star also told of the importance to continually improve safety, rather than merely fix specific problems after a tragic accident occurs. "The problem is that people only know what they've done wrong after something bad happens," Michael told the paper. After Ayrton Senna's death in 1994, there were many changes made to the various Grand Prix circuits aimed at improving safety.

Despite the ongoing efforts of Mosley and the GPDA, Schumacher said there are still some in the Formula One community, including his former team boss Flavio Briatore, who "want to block decisions just for the sake of doing so".