You may wonder about the safety of Formula 1 cars and equipment. While it is understandable to have some concerns, learn that F1 these days is safer than ever due to advanced technologies that ensure drivers’ safety.
Formula 1 is one of the most exhilarating and adrenaline-inducing sports, but it is also dangerous, as F1 drivers always race flat out, at the limit. That is why accidents can – and do – occur. The sport has had a history of disastrous crashes that caused the deaths of the likes of Francois Cevert, Roger Williamson, and Ayrton Senna.
But today’s defence measures are much more advanced than in the past, as Formula 1 has responded to the risk over the centuries and implemented pertinent safety regulations that protect the drivers and save lives.
The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) – Formula 1’s governing body – has introduced numerous and various safety technologies to mitigate the risk of injury or, worse, fatality, including driver’s equipment, car design, and tracking features, all this trying to maintain the sport’s core.
Here is what makes F1 today safer than ever:
The Halo
The Halo is the strongest part of a Formula 1 vehicle and is designed to save drivers’ lives in the event of a crash. The Halo is a relatively recent innovation, implemented in 2018, as a measure to protect the driver’s head from cars or flying debris. Simply put, it prevents something of huge dimensions from landing on top of the driver’s head or flying into their head.
The device typically weighs about 7kg, and its structure can stand the weight of a London double-decker bus (more than 12 tons), making it amazingly protective. Its value is proved in one of the most recent crashes involving Romain Grosjean. Anyway, this innovation is just as appreciated as it is controversial, not to say criticised. Many argue that it encloses the cockpit too much, hinders the pilot’s line of sight, and makes racing less exciting. None of these disputes, though, negate the proof that this safety measure prevents fatality.
Crash Helmet
One of the most paramount pieces of the Formula 1 safety kit is the driver’s helmet. This device has undergone multiple changes throughout the history of motorsport, transforming from mere layers of canvas to Kevlar and carbon fibre. Every helmet is designed to meet FIA requirements and must pass the entity’s approval before being used. It shall be durable but light enough not to burden the pilot and reduce the pressure on the racer’s head during a potential impact.
NOMEX Race Suit, Underwear and Balaclava
NOMEX-fire-resistant suits include everything from gloves, socks, and shoes to underwear, and balaclavas. These suits are made of a flame-resistant fabric typically used in firefighters’ equipment. However, since Formula 1 engines and their fuel are highly flammable, and drivers could be exposed to fire risk, it started to be leveraged in motorsport, too.
Thermal Protective Testing Technology Guardian or NOMEX for short can endure unimaginable temperatures of 600 to 800 degrees Celsius during a crash, making it possible for the driver to survive until further help comes in place. NOMEX’s merit has been proved multiple times, a pertinent example being the case of Mario Andretti in 1969. The famous pilot managed to survive a car afire. Since then, the technology has evolved, meaning that racers’ equipment is much more advanced, thus mitigating the risk of injury or death considerably.
The HANS Device
The HANS (Head and Neck Support) device is perhaps one of the vital additions to Formula 1 safety, as it reduces the risk of a skull or neck fracture, common injuries F1 racers are exposed to during a crash. The device is designed to stabilise the pilot’s head during the unthinkable and avoid stretching of the vertebrae. The HANS Device fits over drivers’ shoulders and is typically attached to the helmet. Its very purpose is to limit head motion in a collision and, thus, reduce the chance of spinal and neck injuries.
Such gear is absolutely indispensable and mandatory in Formula 1 and other forms of motorsport, so if the race team (engineers, mechanics, managers, and other support members) fail to provide drivers with this safety measure, the injured party could be eligible for compensation, according to the no win no fee solicitors guide.
Car Design
Modern Formula 1 cars are designed to keep pilots safe during the unexpected, and some of the vital features in this sense include:
Survival Cell
The survival cell, or the monocoque, is an essential feature of a Formula 1 car. Acting and actually being a capsule, it comprises the driver’s seat and cockpit, ensuring no debris can penetrate and harm the pilot during a crash. Plus, they remain perfectly intact during a collision, as they are made from carbon fibre, an innovatively durable yet very light material.
Wheel Tethers
While travelling at maximum speed, cars can and do lose their wheels in violent impacts which then create wild unguided missiles weighing in excess of 25kg which can kill other drivers as happened to the late double World Champion John Surtees’ son, Henry, at Brands Hatch some years ago. That is where tethers come into play – they now prevent wheels from being separated from the chassis in an accident.
Crash Structures
Although it might appear useless or maybe odd, every side of a modern Formula 1 machine is designed to crash under force. This is vital to ensure drivers survive in case of massive pressure endangering their lives. These crash structures absorb the vehicle’s energy and help slow the pilot down, proving amazingly useful in the event of an all-time collision.
Biometric Technology
A Formula 1 driver is never alone in the cockpit, as they are equipped with biometric sensors designed under the rules set by the FIA. Drivers’ safety is paramount in this story, so teams of experts do their best to ensure that F1 drivers are safe and sound while racing. Some of the most innovative technologies implemented in Formula 1 over the years is biometric underwear, used to measure driver’s vital parameters and, thus, can stop the race if the driver’s health is threatened. The concept of providing real-time measurement of vitals is the latest move in a global attempt to keep F1 drivers as safe as possible during a race. FIA has homologated Vital Signs Monitors, or shortly, VISM, in 2020, so they are a relatively new invention which – we hope – will reduce the risk of injury in F1.
