New Delhi: Juan Pablo Montoya has called on Silverstone to make safety improvements at some of its quickest corners, amid fears that the current generation of cars are too fast.
Just one week before the teams arrive at the Northamptonshire track in preparation for the British Grand Prix, Montoya believes that the run-off areas and proximity of barriers at Copse and Becketts are not good enough - even though he relishes the challenge the corners pose.
With Vitantonio Liuzzi being lucky to escape unscathed from a high-speed crash at Becketts in testing last month, and Montoya having had a similar accident there in 2004, the Colombian has admitted he is concerned about safety at parts of the track.
"You can ask Liuzzi the same question," he said in Autosport's British Grand Prix preview supplement this week when asked about his concerns.
"I crashed in the same place two years ago. Silverstone has high-speed corners, and I don't have a problem with them, and it's exciting that they're quick."
"But I think you need a little bit more run-off area if something goes wrong. Copse and Becketts are just way too quick."
The improved grip provided by 2006-specification tyres, plus increases in downforce, have turned Copse into an almost-flat turn – taken at almost 180 mph.
"That's the bravest and fastest corner, and it's quite a challenge," he explained. "We're pulling nearly 5.2g there. You're over 20 km/h quicker at the apex. The car has more grip, the tyres are a bit softer than last year."
"You go in, and when the balance is nice, you just floor it through there."
But Montoya thinks the main problem with Copse is that it is not flat on every lap – which could lead to trouble because the car's behaviour through it is not predictable.
"No, that's the thing. Two laps on new tyres if the balance is good you can still go flat through there. If you can make it, then you can make a bit of time. That's why it's so dangerous, because if it steps out, or something fails."
"I think it's great. They shouldn't change the circuit, they should just change the safety."
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