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Source: IRS News
Date: March 8
Subject: "Formula One too safe", says Ecclestone
Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone believes the sport has placed too much emphasis on safety at the expense of thrilling racing and must make changes to track layouts to allow cars to go faster. Speaking to reporters before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on Sunday, Ecclestone agreed with drivers' championship favourite Jacques Villeneuve, who believes safety considerations are making the sport "boring". "I think at the moment we've basically gone over the top with safety," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper on Saturday. "I agree with him totally," he said. "You're never going to stop accidents but when the accident happens you want to look after the guy. "We don't want to kill people, we don't want to see blood everywhere but I think the cars are so safe now we could hang it out a little bit more on the tracks to get back some of the sweeping fast corners that we used to have," Ecclestone said.
Since the death of former world champion Ayrton Senna at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, the sport's ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA) has introduced a series of changes to improve safety. Many of these have been to slow the cars and the tracks and have included the removal of several of the world's fastest corners.
Williams team boss Frank Williams, his technical director Patrick Head and estranged chief designer Adrian Newey are currently facing charges of culpable homicide in Italy following Senna's death. The Brazilian driver suffered fatal head injuries after his car careered off the circuit and smashed into a concrete barrier at high speed.