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F1 drivers discuss safety improvements
The Grand Prix Drivers' Association and FIA is working to reduce the risks taken by drivers during non-event testing.
Formula One drivers on Thursday confirmed that the sport's governing body, the FIA, is working together with the Grand Prix Drivers' Association to reduce the risks they take during non-event testing.
Concerns that safety has become compromised in testing sessions have increased after McLaren test driver Alex Wurz suffered a heavy smash in the build-up to this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.
And GPDA representative Jarno Trulli said: "We raised this problem and discussed it several times because we really believe the safety during testing is not good enough, or not as good as during the races.
"We really want to push the teams, the FIA and everyone to raise the safety standard during testing, because I cannot see why we shouldn't have the same safety standard -- the risk to us is exactly the same."
World champion Michael Schumacher suffered a heavy shunt in testing last year, after which he had to lie down beside the track to recover, and Wurz's latest incident served as a stern reminder of the need for change.
Both Toyota driver Trulli and Williams driver Mark Webber work alongside Red Bull Racing's David Coulthard and world champion Michael Schumacher as key leaders of the GPDA and they met this weekend to discuss their latest plans.
Wurz bent the safety barriers so badly in his crash at Magny Cours last week that the testing had to be re-routed to avoid the part of the circuit where he had lost control.
But Webber believes Ralf Schumacher's heavy crash in the United States Grand Prix in June last year, which put the driver out with an injured back for six races, was the real catalyst for change.
Webber said: "Ralf's crash last year at Indianapolis raised a few issues for us as drivers so we thought we would ask (FIA president) Max (Mosley), to start with, how they would improve things.
"Now, together with the FIA, we are looking to up the standards. Clearly, we have a lot of enthusiastic marshals who give all their time day after day, they are bloody long days testing for those guys.
"But in terms of the medical back-up, compared to what we have at races, which is absolutely full-on and the drivers are very well looked after, in testing I think we are definitely a bit shallow on the back-up.
"In testing, we are testing new components and doing a huge volume of mileage, so, it needs to be addressed quite quickly and I am sure it will be. All the drivers are together on it."
Red Bull Racing driver Christian Klien, Minardi driver Patrick Friesacher and Sauber's Felipe Massa all hit the barriers during the practice sessions here Thursday but all escaped unscathed.
