Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat has hit back at Willi Weber’s criticism of modern day Formula 1 drivers, after he described them as “crying wimps”.
The Russian driver says such comments are “bulls**t” and despite modern safety standards, it still takes courage to race at more than 340kph.
“In my opinion motor racing remains one of the sports in which courage has more relevance,” he told Omnicorse.
“I do not like to be told that the modern drivers are no longer a knight of risk, that if you compare it with the 80s we are not real men. That is bulls**t.
“When you go at 340kph and you miss the braking point, suddenly you are up against the wall even if there is a hundred meters of asphalt run-off!”
Whilst there hasn’t been a driver death in the sport since Ayrton Senna in 1994 and injuries are rare, Kvyat insists the danger is still apparent and F1 should never be satisfied with safety.
“The risk in Formula 1 cannot be erased,” he added. “It is right, therefore, that we do everything possible to improve the safety standards of the tracks and the cars.”
