Formula One: Coulthard - Don't take danger out of F1

David Coulthard has issued a plea to Formula One chiefs not to take the danger out of the sport as Luciano Burti recovers in hospital .

Burti suffering heavy bruising to his head and face following a 170mph shunt in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Coulthard admitted that was it not for safety improvements in recent years, the accident would have been fatal.

Brazilian driver Burti was buried under a mountain of rubber after his Prost car slammed into a tyre barrier following a collision with Jaguar's Eddie Irvine.

But Coulthard believes the incident should not leave motorsport bosses looking to reduce speeds by diluting high-speeds tracks like Spa, and instead he called for further improvements to run-off areas.

"Danger is a part of our sport. We can't have a series of low speed corners, because that's not what F1 is about," said the 30-year-old.

"Corners like Eau Rouge are difficult, they are dangerous, but that's Spa.

"What we should try and do is make the run-off areas as safe as possible, to minimise the chances of a driver getting hurt because he hits the barrier. I think that's what we should tackle, rather than changing the tracks."

Coulthard said of Burti's crash at the 190mph Blanchimont corner: "It was a big crash, obviously. It's difficult to tell exactly why it came to happen, although obviously he came together with Eddie.

"Between the Grand Prix Drivers' Association and Charlie Whiting (Race Director) we've made changes to the run-off there, and it really helped him a lot when he had the accident.

"But it's a dangerous business. You never like to see what happened to Luciano. That was as big as they come in terms of speed."

Burti was saved from a far more serious injury - and potentially death - by the improvements to cockpit safety introduced following the double tragedy at Imola in 1994 when Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger were killed.

The 26-year-old, who has homes in Cambridge and Brazil, could still be ruled out of the next race in Italy on Sunday week while he recovers from the injuries he sustained in the impact and the aftermath.

"He is feeling much better today than he was yesterday," said a spokeswoman for the French-based team which is headed by four-time former world champion Alain Prost.