Saturday October 12th, 2002

Italian Jarno Trulli revealed that the drivers have been pushing for a change to the 130R corner of the Suzuka circuit for several years but their appeals have fallen on deaf ears.

Briton Allan McNish escaped unhurt today from a crash that destroyed the rear of his Toyota and halted qualifying for the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix. The Scot was shocked but unscathed after his out-of-control car smashed through the metal crash barriers at the exit to the 130R curve and into an earth bank near marshals.

"This is one of the most dangerous corners we have," Trulli told F1 Digital+. "We have been telling them for years to change it because it is too fast and it is very bumpy. It probably will happen next year.

"They are not very keen to change the run off area because they race a lot of time with bikes and bikers do not like tarmac run off areas."

The crash barrier was extensively damaged and organisers said the hour-long session, halted after 35 minutes, would not restart for at least another 45 minutes. McNish will not take any further part in the session and is currently 18th on the grid. It is not yet known whether the Scot will be able to make a return in time for Sunday's race.

Published at 05:13:18 GMT