Irvine Slams Car Safety.

Eddie Irvine may have landed himself in more hot water, after he chose to criticise the safety standards of current F1 cars.


The Irishman slammed the mandatory chassis test procedures as inadequate following team-mate Michael Schumacher's Silverstone accidents, and claimed that the chance to improve standards after the death of Ayrton Senna had been missed. Schumacher's car broke up after hitting the wall at just 66mph, and was further damaged when one of the front wheels came back into the cockpit area.


"If Michael can lock his brakes for 100 yards on tarmac, go across a sand trap and break a monocoque and his leg, then these cars aren't safe," he said, "The crash tests should be tougher. All you need to do is get it through the test and put some ballast in the car.


"After Ayrton's accident, I don't know why they didn't push the sidepods right forward - that slows the cars down and the wheel would just come into the pod and not fly off so much."


The remarks are unlikely to go down well with the FIA, which has strived to improve safety every season since the Brazilian's death. A series of other accidents this season - including both involving the BAR team at Spa - will undoubtedly be used to highlight the relative improvement in standards since 1994, as will comments made by Schumacher following his leg-breaking shunt in July.