GPDA agrees on plan to improve safety

The drivers have been pushing teams and the FIA to improve medical facilities at tests, because they are worried that safety is not as good as it is at Grands Prix.

Following recent meetings with teams, the GPDA have now agreed to pay for the improvements themselves in the short term before the costs are passed onto the teams.

"We wanted to discuss with the FIA about track safety," said GPDA director David Coulthard. "There was Alex Wurz's shunt (last week) and it was more than two minutes before a car got to him at Barcelona. And (Luca) Badoer had a very, very big shunt.

"We have agreement from the team principals and we have agreement from the FIA in improving track safety at tests and we now need the final step to implement it.

"What the GPDA are going to do is personally contact the circuits, personally carry any shortfall in the costs of getting the right medical facilities at the next test and then have that re-invoiced to the teams, because they have all agreed to do it.

"So we are going to take a more active role in it."