FIA are Doing All They Can, Says Herbert

Johnny Herbert has supported Formula One's governing body, FIA, and said they are doing all they can to improve safety in the sport.

Herbert, who is the Arrows' team test driver this season, believes the FIA have, and always will, strive to make the sport as safe as possible.

The recent death of marshal Graham Beveridge at the Australian Grand Prix has increased concerns about the deformable principle of Formula One car design, over which the FIA regulates.

The cars are designed to disintegrate and cushion the impact of a crash on the driver, but this leads to the dangerous debris, particularly ripped-off wheels, which has claimed the life of two marshals in the last five races.

The FIA regulations demand the use of wheel tethers, which are designed to tie the wheels to the car in the event of a crash. However, the tethers have regularly failed in big accidents.

Herbert defended the wheel tethers on BBC sports programme On Side by saying: "They take a massive loading, but I think when we have an accident of that magnitude it just rips them off.

"It's very, very difficult sometimes to stop these objects from doing the damage that they do. But the FIA do try very hard to restrict these things from departing from the car."