Red Bull driver David Coulthard has said that other drivers share his concerns over safety in the support, however he is one of the only drivers who is prepared to speak publicly about his concerns.
In particular, the Scottish F1 driver is worried about driving in wet conditions without traction control. He has also denied he is more worried than others about the cars handling on a wet track.
“I m not the biggest critic I am just prepared to express my opinion publicly,†Coulthard explained. “All of the drivers when we have the drivers meetings, and even those who are not members of the GPDA when we have the meetings with Charlie [Whiting], express the same concerns.
“There is an element of not wanting to get involved publicly, an element of not wanting to talk about safety because racing drivers are meant to be brave and pushing the limits and all that sort of thing so it doesn t always sit comfortably with some.
“I have go no problem with not having traction control, engine braking and all of those things I ve race when a lot of these guys that I m racing against now were at kindergarten and I was racing cars without those toys!â€
Coulthard believes the biggest problem with the lack of traction control is aquaplaning off the track he points to 2007 s Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji which had appalling weather conditions with huge puddles of standing water and heavy spray which severely limited visibility. Many drivers found it hard to stay on the track, despite having traction control at their disposal, and many thought the race should have been called off.
“There is clearly pressure for us all to race in Fuji and if we go there now without traction control, there won t be as many cars finish I can guarantee that,†Coulthard said.
Coulthard s team-mate Mark Webber agrees with his assessment. “No question about it, there will be more crashes,†Webber said. “We have seen it in testing there are many more guys going off, there are more red flags and that is going to happen in races. That is a 100% certainty.
“You can say that we are paid lots of cash but if you are talking about actually you cannot see where you are going that s not about who is paid what. It s just not safe enough. But, on the bottom of that, I don t want to see Webber is a pussy with safety . I like taking risks and I m up for the challenge but we need to always find a balance, and we will learn.â€
