Personally, i think there should be diffrent types of barrier used where needed on a course. A long straingt should have the good old tyre type on its run off area, where The SAFER should be used on the Wall Of Champoins and the turn coming out of Casino Square at Monaco where glancing impacts are the most critical.
However, in some instances, the Massa incedent, i think if there was a small ammount of gravel before that tyre wall, it may have reduced the speed that little futher than the 120kmph that he reputedly hit it at. However, taking another incedent of recent years, Kubica may have had less of an impact if he had the SAFER barrier for his impact with the wall at Canada 06.
I think, tracks should have a good mix of the new and old methods of slowing cars down; tyre barriers, SAFER barriers, TecPro, TarMac run offs and the good old gravel trap should all work in unison to aid saftey.
I do however, think that the TarMac run off areas at many modren tracks should be peanalised more ofr using by making them less deep than some are at present, and as for those areas the drivers use to gain that vital .1 of a second from the run offs, they should be ripped up and have concrete that is porus and has grass growing thrugh it, where its slipery as hell and actually gives a penalty for its use.
The only corner id change massivly like this at the moment is La Source, where Kimi literally took the run off area line on the first turn last year, id have the wall brought in quite sharply there so that drivers have to re join the track say no more than 20M after the outer apex of the corner.
Altho, may i refoer to Adrian Sutils recent comments about tracks being "too safe" as well for the counter argument:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/01/10/a ... -too-safe/
