Rossi argues that the safety argument of the Indy 500 is not valid

During the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Max Verstappen declared his interest in participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the same time, he declined, for now, a possible participation in the Indianapolis 500. The Dutch driver notably advanced the argument of safety, finding the race too dangerous.

Alexander Rossi, currently an IndyCar driver and winner of the Indy 500 in 2016 on his first attempt, first made his mark in Formula 1, competing in five Grand Prix races in 2015 with the Manor team. The 30-year-old American therefore knows what the Indianapolis 500 Miles represents from a Formula 1 perspective. "I was also that guy," declares Rossi. "I think when you're on a path towards Formula 1 and your whole world revolves around F1, the other races don't really exist for you."

For Rossi, Verstappen's argument about safety is not viable. In a way, it may be more dangerous, but we've had four accidents and we haven't had any cars split in half. You can't say that about the Monaco Grand Prix, can you? I think the safety argument is a kind of excuse.

In an attempt to confirm his statements, Alexander Rossi mentions the case of Romain Grosjean. I believe that Romain is someone who is very well placed to talk about this. Obviously, he had that dramatic and incredibly frightening accident in Bahrain a few years ago. He has thought long and hard about what he would do with his future, and he has shared that his passion for motorsports and racing has been rediscovered thanks to our cars. He feels completely safe in them.