In the wake of Sunday's incident-filled Belgian GP, BMW Motorsport boss, Mario Theissen, has called for a full investigation into why so many (Michelin) drivers were affected by tyre failures, in addition to calling on race officials to bring the track cleaning process into the 21st century.

"The unusually high rate of punctures is of great concern, and careful analysis is an absolute must," said the German. "It has to be discovered whether these punctures were caused by external impact, such as sharp-edged debris after the numerous accidents, or if Spa was just simply asking too much of the tyres.

"If you are interested in improving the safety of Formula One, the tyres and, in this context, the cleaning of the track are key factors," he continued.

"A simple broom is most definitely not enough when it comes to cleaning the scene of an accident. To ensure that all the razor-sharp carbon-fibre slivers are removed, during the course of a safety-car period, you need special equipment, such as a vacuum cleaning road sweeper.

"This year, Formula One has already experienced too many puncture-related incidents. Our team has been involved in two of these accidents, the first being Ralf Schumacher's serious crash at Indianapolis, the second Juan Pablo's puncture at Spa. Fortunately, neither Juan Pablo nor his rivals suffered injuries in yesterday's Grand Prix."

As was the case at Indianapolis, some are asking why the race wasn't red-flagged, while the track could be cleared properly.

Certainly, the fact that a high-profile, cutting edge of technology, multi-billion dollar industry, such as Formula One still relies on men with brushes, seems somewhat ludicrous.