Bernie Ecclestone says he does not back moves to put a cover or canopy over the drivers’ heads in formula one.
A spate of incidents in F1 and other categories, including the deaths of Jules Bianchi and Justin Wilson but also Carlos Sainz’s worrying brush with the barriers at Sochi, has ramped up momentum to end the days of fully open cockpits.
But when asked if traditional open-wheelers are now an endangered species, F1 supremo Ecclestone told the Russian news agency Tass: "No, never."
In fact, the 84-year-old Briton suggested that danger is an integral part of the ’show’.
"It is a dangerous sport," Ecclestone insisted. "Nobody wants to see people killed or hurt (but) people like to go to the circus and see the high-wire act. It is dangerous.
"They do not want to see the guy fall, but it could happen," he explained.