Saturday March 25th, 2000

Collapsing advert signs almost caused a serious accident when one fell onto Jean Alesi's car during Saturday's qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Organisers said a "violent wind" was to blame after the falling signs, promoting race sponsors Marlboro, halted the qualifying session three times.

"The force of the wind in the main straight broke the ties made of nylon, a material which has been proven to be resistant and adequate for this type of structure," the organisers said in a statement.

Organisers said the signs went up on Thursday and are scrutinised every day after racing. They have vowed to take a close look at every placard on the track before the race.

The qualifying session was halted first when a hoarding appeared to collapse and secondly when a piece fell down harmlessly onto the circuit.

On the third occasion, a sign fell as Frenchman Alesi drove his Prost at top speed down the pits straight.

Alesi, 36, the most experienced man in the sport, swerved to avoid being struck by the hoarding but could not avoid it hitting the front wing of his car.

Despite the potential danger, teams shrugged off any major safety concerns.

"I thought it was more amusing than serious," said McLaren team chief Ron Dennis, who referred to the incident as "confetti signage".