Safety in question once again.

The accident which claimed the life of a corner worker in Melbourne yesterday [Sunday] has once again focused attention on the problems of ensuring safety in grand prix racing.

The fatality, which occurred as debris from the cars of Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher was scattered around turn three at Albert Park, has since led to calls from F1 personnel to review the current measures in place, and follows hot on the heels of a similar incident at last year's Italian Grand Prix.

Once more, it the tethering system designed to retain errant wheels in the case of an accident that has fallen most heavily under the spotlight. As in Italy, it was a wheel that caused the death of the marshal in Australia, and, despite increasing their number from one to two, the current tethers have again proved to be fallible. The fatality is understood to have had a freak quality, in that the wheel passed through the access hole in the safety fencing before striking the marshal, but this does not relieve the pressure now in place to find a better means of retaining bodywork in the event of an accident.

"There are gaps in the wall all around the track," Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker told ABC Radio after the event, "The reason for that is that the marshals have to get out in case a car turns over and a driver is trapped beneath it. But, for all that, for a wheel to come through that small a gap is quite phenomenal. It was a billion-to-one chance."

Walker later released a further statement reporting that race officials had deemed the incident a racing accident, and claiming that no action would be taken by the FIA or Australian GP organisers against either driver.

Jackie Stewart, an advocate of improved safety for many years, called for calm in the wake of the incident, also claiming that it was no more than a racing accident, and asking that no blame be laid at anyone's door. State investigators will take up the reins in determining cause and effect of the incident, which occurred when Jacques Villeneuve's BAR slammed into the back of Ralf Schumacher's Williams approaching turn three. The resultant impact with the retaining wall shed wheels and bodywork from the white car, ultimately leading to the fatality. The marshal is thought to have been struck in the chest and stomach area by a wheel.

"We need to do some housekeeping," Stewart told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, "We need to look at wheel attachment, at debris-fencing and at where the marshals stand and how they are protected. This is something that needs to be addressed, because of the amount of debris in the air following an accident like this. At 200 or 300kph, these things become missiles."

Race winner Michael Schumacher also called for calm after the incident, but insisted that something needed to be done to protect everyone at grands prix, and not just the drivers. In tears after the Monza race, the German pointed out that much had been done to improve conditions after the death of Paolo Ghislimberti in Italy, but said that he would help determine what further changes could be made.

New Jaguar overseer Niki Lauda has called for an inquiry to determine whether driver error played a part in the incident.