By: Although the Italian Grand Prix ended almost a week ago and Formula 1 has already travelled to Madrid for the 14th round of the 2026 championship at the brand-new Madring circuit, the Monza round continues to spark debate. This time, however, the focus of attention and controversy is not an on-track move by a driver, but the way the incident was handled by the marshals and Italian organisers.
After the start, the race was stopped following the heavy crash involving Charles Leclerc at Parabolica. After the red flag was shown, allowing the Ferrari to be removed and the barriers repaired, the race resumed only after around 35 minutes.
The delay did not go unnoticed. Today, TecPro Barriers, a leading manufacturer of safety barriers also used at several other circuits on the World Championship calendar, criticised the Temple of Speed over the time taken to repair the tyre barrier damaged in the crash.
Unlike at other circuits such as Jeddah, Baku, Las Vegas or the brand-new Madring, at Monza TecPro barriers, where present, are used only at a handful of specific points, with other areas of the iconic layout protected solely by guardrails or tyre stacks, as was the case at Parabolica. Although the latter method absorbs impacts, it is nevertheless very outdated and not entirely safe, especially at certain speeds.
Another weakness is the time required for a potential replacement. TecPro Barriers therefore seized the opportunity to criticise the choice made by the Brianza circuit, writing on LinkedIn: "35 minutes to rebuild a tyre barrier. That was the cost of the red flag at Monza".
"On lap two, Leclerc went off at Parabolica. He escaped unhurt, and that is what matters, but then the field had to wait almost 40 minutes while a dislodged tyre barrier was rebuilt, row by row".
"With #TecProBarriers, damaged modules are disconnected, replaced with spares at trackside, and protection is restored in just a few minutes. The same protection for the driver, but very little downtime for the race, the broadcaster and the fans".
"Safety first, always. But when the next major accident happens, how quickly will you want to get racing again?".
