F1 drivers drug takers? - 29th December 18:19pm GMT

A former Ferrari team doctor, Benigno Bartoletti, has said that close to one third of Grand Prix drivers takes cocaine.

"At races, there is a lot of cocaine and in Formula One, it could be as many as one third of all drivers who take cocaine," the 68-year-old doctor told the Italian motorsport magazine "Quattroruote".

He said that cocaine gave the drivers the belief that they are invincible.

He added that the effect of cocaine lasted around 90 minutes and during this time the driver had a faster reaction time. "However, if a race takes longer, then it could become dangerous for drivers as the drug loses its effect."

Doping tests amongst Formula One drivers in the past season however did not return a single positive test.