GPDA Concerned about Tyre Safety

Leading members of the GPDA, who did not wish to be named, believe that Bridgestone and Michelin are being forced to take risks with the structural integrity of their tyres in order to find the performance necessary to be competitive.

Drivers are particularly concerned that in the event of an extended Safety Car period towards the end of a race, when all the cars will be running on worn rubber, tyre temperatures and pressures will drop to a point where they are unable to regain their correct operating temperatures.

"The consequences of having a late-race Safety Car period at somewhere like Monza or Spa and then having to go back out on heavily worn tyres that aren't warm enough don't bare thinking about," a GPDA member told Autosport.

"It's going to happen somewhere and there is going to be serious injury."

Another GPDA member added: "Safety has definitely become more of an issue this year. We were incredibly lucky that what was a spectacular accident for Kimi Raikkonen at the Nurburgring wasn't a far more serious incident."

The drivers' comments come after the European Grand Prix, where race leader Raikkonen crashed his McLaren at high speed on the last lap because of suspension failure caused by uneven tyre wear.