Juan Pablo Montoya has spoken out about lagging safety standards at Silverstone, scene of Sunday’s British grand prix.
Despite a drop in horse power this year, softer tyre compounds have seen cornering speeds increase by as much as 20kph.
And at Silverstone, one of the quickest and most challenging circuits on the calendar, McLaren’s Montoya – who won the race last year – thinks the cars’ performance have now outgrown the size of the gravel traps.
”They shouldn’t change the circuit, just the safety,” the Colombian, who recently had a massive testing shunt in the flat-out Beckett’s complex, told Autosport.
In comments that were subsequently backed by rival Mark Webber, 30-year-old Montoya explained that Copse, the ultra-fast turn one that will be taken at full-throttle in 2006, is ‘so dangerous’ because of the run-off zone.
Without completing the sentence, he ominously warned: ”If something steps out or fails (there) … ”
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