Williams tech boss calls for swift action on tethers

While the cars had done their job in saving the drivers lives, the Williams-BMW technical director said the tethers, designer to keep a broken wheel assembly close to the chassis in an accident, had obviously failed to do what they were designed to do.

And rather than wait for a long drawn out investigation to be concluded, Head, who is preparing for Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix, said there needed to be action now.

"The [BAR-Honda] car did its job because it came to a halt with Jacques [Villeneuve] quite safe, but there were eight wheel ties on the car and each one parted," he said. "That is the big thing we have to have a look at to understand why, and to make sure we improve the performance of the wheel ties and make sure they do what they are intended to do

Villeneuve and Williams driver Ralf Schumacher walked away from their cars after a torrid 160mph collision, but a loose wheel found its way through an opening in the safety fencing, killing spectator marshal Graham Beveridge.

The 51-year-old was the second marshal to die in six months - after 23 years without a fatality.

Head added that it was difficult to design safety measures to take into account all eventualities in an accident when debris was spread far and wide.

"Obviously when you get cars hitting each other - especially from behind - and the accident is hard, it tends to flick the car up in the air," he said. "Lots of safety features are designed using calculations based on cars on the ground and it is very difficult to deal with all aspects of cars when they are going through the air.

"In simple terms, you have to say the car itself survived quite well, but the wheel ties didn't do their job. I am sure some good balanced technical attention to that, and some adjustments, even if they are made in the short term rather than the long term, will be a good thing."