AUGUST 12, 2000

Top teams express pit-lane concerns

FERRARI and McLaren have expressed new concerns that race results can be affected by pit-lane blocking during a safety car period.

Their comments follow David Coulthard's enforced delay during the German Grand Prix as the McLaren pit-crew concentrated on team-mate Mika Hakkinen.

"That is nothing to do with the competence of the teams," said McLaren technical director Adrian Newey. "It's simply because there is not enough space in the pit for two cars, and because we only have one pit crew."

Newey's opposite number Ross Brawn admitted that his team had been practising handling two cars at the same time in the pits.

"It could create some very difficult problems," Brawn said. "We are next door to McLaren in the pit-lane and if they had a car queued, you could easily envisage a frustrating situation where we were blocked."

Brawn added: "I think it's an issue which we need to resolve."