Ecclestone: Chicanes shouldn't be there

While refusing to back drivers calls for a processional start until the danger is passed, he agrees with their concerns over the chicanes.

"The first two chicanes should not be there in the first place," he said. "If they took them out then every year we would not have this problem."

The F1 supremo was visiting every team motorhome on Sunday morning before the race following an almost unanimous agreement among drivers not to overtake for the first two chicanes. Benetton and Arrows team bosses have already told their drivers they must race.

It appears the drivers tried to get the race started under yellow flags at a meeting with the FIA on Saturday afternoon, but the request was refused. So the drivers met on the parade lap truck on Sunday morning and all, with the exception of Jacques Villeneuve, agreed there would be no overtaking initially.

But Ecclestone said, an hour before the start, he believed the race would go ahead as normal.

"If they all decided they did not want to race we could not take a gun to their heads and make them, though afterwards there would be retaliation," he said. "Some of them feel it is better they do not take any risks for the first few chicanes.

"All the regulations have been in force for a long time," Ecclestone added. "The drivers understand and respect the regulations, well I suppose they will. Jacques wants to respect the regulations and have a normal start like the last race."

Asked if the race could start under a yellow flag he replied: "There is no provision in the regulations for that to happen. A majority of the drivers want to go racing. I think that will happen."