KEY POINTS:
JEREZ - Some Formula One drivers are reluctant to speak out about safety concerns for fear of being considered soft, according to Red Bull's David Coulthard.
The Scot, who gave his team's new RB4 car its test debut at a damp Jerez circuit, has been outspoken in warning about the danger of driving in wet conditions without traction control this season.
However, Coulthard denied he was more concerned than others by the decision to outlaw systems which make it easier to handle cars in slippery conditions.
"I'm not the biggest critic, I'm just prepared to express my opinion publicly," he told reporters.
"All of the drivers when we have the drivers' meetings, and even those who are not members of the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association) when we have the meetings with (race director) Charlie (Whiting), express the same concerns," he added.
"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."
The 36-year-old said he was highlighting a potential danger rather than expressing any personal fears.
"I've got no problem with not having traction control, engine braking and all of those things," said Coulthard, the oldest driver on the Formula One grid with 228 races under his belt since his debut with Williams in 1994.
"I've raced when a lot of these guys that I'm racing against now were at kindergarten, and I was racing cars without those toys."
Formula One has not had a fatality since Brazilian Ayrton Senna died in 1994 but Coulthard warned that another big accident was just a matter of time.
He said the big issue now was the risk of aquaplaning on standing water.
Last year's Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji went ahead in atrocious conditions, with standing water and limited visibility due to heavy spray.
Even with traction control, drivers struggled to stay on the track and many felt 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 TC (traction control), there won't be as many cars finish. I can guarantee that," said Coulthard.
Coulthard's Australian team mate Mark Webber, one of the GPDA directors, agreed.
"No question about it, there will be more crashes," he told reporters.
"We've seen it in testing. There are more guys going off, there are more red flags, and that is going to happen in races. That is a 100 per cent certainty."
"You can say that we're paid lots of cash, but if you are talking about actually you can't see where you are going .... that's not about who's paid what. It's just not safe enough," he continued.
"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."
- REUTERS
