Sir Jackie Stewart has questioned the safety of IndyCar racing after the death of former Bedford School student Dan Wheldon at the Las Vegas Indy 300 race on Sunday.
Stewart, who won three Formula One championships for Tyrrell between 1969 and 1973, believes there are too many cars competing at too high speeds in IndyCar and certain problems need to be addressed.
"The accident we saw was something different," he told Sky Sports News. "It was such high speed on such a small track with too many cars together and not that many top racing drivers in there.
"Take 15 cars out of a field of 34. It's probably too much for a one-and-a-half-mile circuit."
But Stewart, who became an advocate for racing safety following his retirement in 1973, believes reducing the number of cars on the track is not the only potential solution.
"Problems really are made to be overcome. We can find better ways of doing things," he added. "It may be that we have to have smaller engines with smaller horsepower and slower speeds in IndyCar racing.
"You've got to contain the action within the race. I don't think you can stand still for safety. There's always an improvement to be made."
