WITH electronic traction control banned from next season, Formula One races are going to get more exciting.

But, leading drivers are worried that racing in the wet unaided is only going to lead to more crashes, maybe even fatal ones.

The decision to ban traction control, which prevents unwanted wheelspin in conditions of low tyre grip, along with other electronic aids, was agreed by all the teams competing in the World Championship.

Many fans believe it will put more emphasis on driver skill at a time when technological expertise seems to have become a more important factor in achieving grand prix success.

But Honda driver Jenson Button insists "it's going to be very dangerous" without traction control.

He said: "We couldn't have raced in Fuji without traction control - there would have been people spinning on the straight."

The rain-swept Japanese Grand Prix last September was more hazardous than any seen in recent history and had to be started under the safety car.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso smashed into a wall, while Alexander Wurz crashed his Williams, and BMW's Polish driver Robert Kubica admitted that it was a bit mad that the race was allowed to go on.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa called the banning of traction control a "big step backwards" in terms of safety.

"For sure, we will have more accidents and racing in wet conditions will be very dangerous," he told Autosport magazine.

"I've spoken with Michael Schumacher and several other drivers and they've told me it will be more dangerous driving a car without traction control now than it was in the past.

"Another race like Fuji would be very dangerous."

F1 veteran David Coulthard, who heads the Grand Prix Drivers' Association that looks into safety concerns, has taken up the cause with the International Automobile Federation's (FIA) race director, Charlie Whiting.

"Alonso aquaplaned off the road in Fuji even with traction control. The electronics still couldn't support him - and that will happen a lot more without traction control," the RedBull driver warned.

"We don't want to see a monstrous shunt where somebody rides over another car, goes into the crowd or has an accident like Alex Zanardi."

In 2001, in the German 500 at the Lausitzring, Zanardi suffered a horrifying crash and lost both of his legs as a result.

Added Coulthard: "When you're flat out at 180mph (288kmh), you see simply nothing.

"I'm confident Charlie will do the right thing based on us helping and advising him - and that's why we've started a dialogue now rather than trying to react afterwards."

But FIA president Max Mosley has played down the drivers' concerns, claiming that the safety of wet weather races will not be any less because of the absence of traction control.

BMW driver Nick Heidfeld is "anxious" to see the effect that the ban on driver aids will have in Melbourne in March. He predicts that its absence is only going to spice up the sport.

"There're going to be more drifts," he said, "you will make mistakes more easily, which should lead to more overtaking manoeuvres, especially when you are under pressure."

Launch control, which assists drivers at the start of a race by letting them take off at a high speed without the wheels spinning too much, has also been banned.

"In past years, we had the launch control. That is why the starts were always pretty predictable," said Heidfeld.

"Before the launch control, it was easy to gain or lose positions during the start. So next season will be more interesting again."