Publications
Partners
Spielberg, Austria - Lewis Hamilton wants to see action taken to revise the controversial new 'baguette' kerbs that have caused a series of suspension failures in practice and qualifying for the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix.
The pole-sitting Briton, who claimed his 54th pole for Sunday's race, said organisers needed to find another solution to the problem of drivers running wide and off-circuit.
Hamilton said: "I can't speak on behalf of all the drivers. But, for me, looking at it, those yellow kerbs are quite dangerous. We've seen a couple of incidents already - how many more is it going to take before a car ends up in the wall and someone gets hurt?"
Change needed
The defending three-time world champion, who trails Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg by 24 points in this year's title race, added: "I'm sure it's something that Charlie Whiting (safety director) and the FIA are looking at.
"But it's definitely an area in which we can improve. The idea is good. They don't want us to run wide and use outside of the circuit. But perhaps we need another solution."
After three drivers suffered broken suspensions on Saturday after riding the new kerbs Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff wants the organisers to modify the new and controversial kerbs overnight before Sunday's race.
"I don't know what the FIA (International Motoring Federation) is going to decide," said Wolff. "Whether they are going to take those 'sausage kerbs' away or whether they are going to modify some of the red kerbs, scratch them or fill them with concrete.
"There needs to be a reaction. There is some discussion happening. We discussed it during the session that we need to react quickly - with Charlie - and trigger some reaction, but that is not easy."
As it happened: 2016 Austrian GP - Qualifying
Wolff stressed that Mercedes' championship leader Nico Rosberg's failure in third and final practice was caused by red kerbs, at the end of the track, not the yellow kerbs, which are further off line.
Thinking ahead to the race Hamilton said he feared Ferrari, having switched to super-soft tyres in Q2, would start the race with a tactical advantage.
"I think the ultra-soft is not a good tyre for the race, so it will be a struggle to get laps out of it - it's going to be interesting.
"I hope I have an advantage at the start from being on the softer tyre, but in practice those tyres only lasted four laps - Nico says five, but it will definitely be tricky.
"It's going to be tough tomorrow (Sunday) but we don't know what the temperatures will be.
"For sure, in the heat, it is tough for us but maybe it will be colder and better... We just don't know."