Shoemaker 1

Veronica Shoemaker
Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103
10 November 2016

Technological Advances: Is Formula One Playing It Safe On The Track?

It was dreary morning at Nrburgring on August 1st in 1976 when Niki Luda and his
competitors arrived for the German Grand Prix. Lauda was the reigning Formula One champion
and well on his way to a second title when he arrived in Germany that weekend. The rain was
dangerous for anyone to drive in, not to mention a Formula One car going speeds of 150mph
plus. Prior to the race, Lauda voiced his concern for safety, and tried to get his fellow drivers to
boycott the race, but he did not receive enough votes, and they were hours away from the green
flag. Little did he know, that participating in that race would change his life forever.
Safety has become very important in the world of motorsports. With iconic fatal crashes
like those of Dale Earnhardt Senior, Dan Weldon, and Pierre Levegh, it became obvious that
every series needed to take major steps to ensure the safety of the drivers, teams, and the
spectators. Still, Formula One is considered to be one of the most dangerous sports because of
the speed of the cars. Nabanita Dhar, a software engineer and frequent columnist says, the risk
involved in this sport is highly substantial., while she compares and contrasts the safety in
various kinds of sports. With new rules and regulations implemented over the years, it is

Shoemaker 2
apparent that Formula One is trying to make a change in favor of safety, but is it enough, or is it
too much?
Formula one held its first official race in May 1950 in Silverstone England. Since the
sport was just starting out, there were very few rules and regulations for the races, people simply
showed up with their cars, and raced. By the time Formula One saw the 1970s, there were
numerous enforcements and rules put into place for the teams and drivers. According to the
official F1 website, it took until the 1960s for the first safety measures to be introduced, and one
of the first things that became mandatory was the roll-over bar, introduced in 1961. The purpose
for these curved metal bars just behind the drivers head, is to provide a safe distance between
the driver and the ground in the event of the car flipping over. Since the cockpit, or the area
where the driver sits, is not covered like it would be on a regular car, Fzone, a Formula One
based website, explains its function as: This (the roll-over bar) will take the impact and reduce
chances of the drivers head or neck taking the brunt of the impact. Drivers first became required
to wear fire-suits in 1963. Fire was and still is one of the greatest dangers at a race track. The
crash Jerry Unser had in Indianapolis in 1959 is arguably the reason that these special suits made
of fire resistant material became a requirement. Unser died when he lost control during a
practice session, his car hitting a wall and then somersaulting down the track before exploding,
describes Martin Williamson from ESPN. Williamson explains that the burns from that accident
caused his death later that night. In 1963 The Federation Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA)
took responsibility for the safety of the entire sport. Encyclopedia Britannica describes the FIA
as the international governing body for many auto racing events. They set the rules for the sports
and they have the final say in any issue that comes up.

Shoemaker 3
Another important advance was the reconstruction of the fuel tank in 1965. Prior to this
new and improved fuel tank, when the car got caught up in a wreck, the fuel hose that ran
through the engine and the chassis could have become dethatched in the crash, causing fuel to
leak out, creating an even greater fire hazard. Other notable advances in the sport in the 1960s
were things like the redesigned cockpit, making it easier for drivers to get out in a hurry, more
regulations for the already in place roll-over bar, and the introduction of the full visor helmet,
opposed to the more commonly used one at that time which only covered the top of the drivers
head. All of these advances were revisited and updated in the 1970s and 1980s as well, which
goes to show that Formula One is constantly trying to make the sport safer.
A lot more safety devices and rules like a driver code of conduct, medical tests for all
drivers, and safety walls at every track were implemented in the 1970s, as the sport suffered
more devastating and fatal crashes. Daniel Johnson, a Formula One correspondent for The
Telegraph examines the 5 deadliest crashes in F1 in one of his articles. Two of these crashes
could have been substantially less severe and the drivers may have even kept their lives if their
incidents would have occurred post 1970s. Jim Clark was a driver at Hockenheim in 1968, who
unfortunately, due to the lack of safer barriers, or the walls surrounding the track that are
specially made to absorb the impact of the crash, was veered off of the track and crashed into the
trees where he broke his neck and fractured his skull. Double crash barriers were introduced in
1970, just 2 years after the death of Clark, when the FIA started to make circuit inspections
mandatory before each race. Johnson also mentions Jochen Rindt, who lost his life at Monza in
1970, not during the race, but during qualifying, where he was trying to post the fastest lap so he
could start at the front of the field. He lost control of his breaks and ended up crashing into the
wall which ended up tearing the nose off of the car. Rindt was known for not wearing his safety

Shoemaker 4
belts all of the time so he could get out of his car quickly in case of a fire. He slid under the belt
straps and suffered fatal injuries. In 1972 the six-pointed seat belt was introduced, it is easy
enough to get out of, but strong enough to hold drivers in place during a dangerous crash. If
Rindt had this mandatory feature in his car during the crash, he would have still been injured, but
his injuries may not have been as severe.
That rainy August day at Nrburgring in 1976 not only changed the life of Niki Lauda
forever, but it also changed the sport of Formula One racing. On the second lap of the race,
Lauda crashed and his car bounced back onto the track where he was then hit by an oncoming
vehicle. Stef Schrader summarizes in his article that, Lauda was trapped inside his own burning
car for over a minute, damaging his lungs with smoke. His scalp, forehead and hands suffered
severe burns that left him in critical condition. Larger tracks like Nrburgring were phased out
of the schedule until they could update their track to the safety standards that the FIA had issued.
In 1979, Lauda and a few other drivers competed in overalls made up of layers of fire proof
clothing from NASA, hoping to make accidents like Lauds less severe in the future. In 1994,
even the crew members were required to wear this fire proof clothing to protect them while
refueling the cars during a pit stop.
The crash of Gilles Villeneuve is another that was substantial and sparked even more
change in the sport. In his article: 15 Most Tragic Deaths Of Formula One Drivers, Marcus
Tontini explains that Gilles was qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix when he died.
Tontini states that After he clipped the rear end of Mass car, Villeneuves car was launched
100m into the air and disintegrated after nosediving into the side of the track. Just two years
later, in 1984, the FIA moves the placement of the fuel tank in the cars, and in 1985, they start to
test the frontal impact on the cars in the case of a crash. Villeneuve died on impact at the track,

Shoemaker 5
but his son, Jacques Villeneuve was qualifying for the exact same race a few years down the
road, when he too wrecked. The difference between the two incidents is about 16 years and a lot
of safety advances. Jacques was able to walk away with a few scrapes and bruises, but his dad
had lost his life. Some would argue that the situations were different for each of the crashes, and
that Gilles crash was more severe. Although they were two completely different wrecks, Jacques
was going at least 170mph at the time of impact, where as his father was only averaging
140mph. It could be argued that Jacques should have been the one to lose his life because of the
speed of impact, but in fact, it was the other way around, which says a lot about how far safety
has come. Veteran driver Michael Schumacher, states in an interview from The Standard:
(Jacques) Villeneuves accident was a big one and it proved that safety standards have improved
a great deal." Schumacher is a driver who has been around the sport a long time and has been an
active driver since 1991. He has been given the reputation as one of the most influential men in
F1 because he is a 7-time world champion. He has also witnessed and even survived some of the
worst crashes in the sport. If he believes that the sport has gotten safer, then there is no doubt that
Formula One has become safer.
There have been arguments by many people that the FIA is making the sport too safe
and that it will lead to the downfall of Formula One as a whole. Yes, many of the people saying
this are just crazed fans who go to a race to see wrecks and injuries, but some of the people who
agree with this statement may shock you. "My opinion is if we continue only to think of making
it 110% about the safety issues, we're going to destroy Formula One," expresses former Formula
One driver, Niki Lauda in an interview with Henry Young from CNN. People dont go to a race
just to watch cars driver around a track 100 times. "Why are we watching?", Lauda asks before
he further explains that, "Good racing, a bit of danger -- always there. And unbelievable driver

Shoemaker 6
performance to keep these cars under control.". The thrill of the sport is not knowing what you
are going to see, the possibility of craziness or danger is exactly what draws everyone in. Max
Mosley, the former president of the FIA understands that, "The drivers, generally speaking, are
interested in having the fastest car," he said. "They are not really interested in safety. From an
interview in the Kansas City Star. The sport is improving safety, but when a former driver
believes that it is ruining the sport, the FIA really needs to think about its decisions.
Since the early 1960s, Formula One has been trying to make the sport a safer place for
drivers and crew members. The FIA has made many new rules and regulations for the crews to
follow. They implemented safety features at all of the tracks, made strict dress code and conduct
code for all of the drivers, and set standards for the vehicles and equipment used. As a result,
there have been significantly less crashes and all of the injuries have been less severe. It can be
argued that the number of rules and safety is ruining the sport. Whatever the case may be, the
drivers are walking away from very dangerous wrecks virtually unharmed. It is obvious that the
sport has come very far in the field of safety, but has it gone too far?

Shoemaker 7
Works Cited

21st Century. Formula 1. Formula One World Championship Limited, Web. 7 Oct.

2016.

"24 Hours of Le Mans." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 June

2016. Web. 3 Nov. 2016.
Close call for Villeneuve: Walks away from crash practicing for same race that killed his
father. The Standard. 29 Aug. 1998, A10. NewsBank. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
"Deaths make Formula One look at itself Senna tragedy fuels questions about safety, but racing
officials cite drivers' desire for speed.." The Kansas City Star. 3 May 1994,
METROPOLITAN, SPORTS: C1. NewsBank. Web. 3 Nov. 2016.
Dhar, Nabanita. "Top 10 Most Dangerous Sports." TopYaps. TopYaps Contributor, 2014. Web.
25 Oct. 2016.
Flashes from the past-F1 in the 1960s- part 2. Fzone. 6 Mar. 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
Harmer, Alfie Potts. "Top 15 Disasterous Formula One Car Crashes." TheSportster.
TheSportster, 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
Johnson, Daniel. "Life On The Limit: Formula One's Deadliest Crashes." The Telegraph.
Telegraph Media Group, 10 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
Schrader, Stef. "The Fiery Crash That Nearly Killed F1's Niki Lauda Happened 40 Years Ago
Today." Black Flag. Black Flag, 01 Aug. 2016. Web. 3 Nov. 2016.

Shoemaker 8
Tontini, Marcus. "15 Most Tragic Deaths Of Formula One Drivers." TheRichest. TheRichest, 29
June 2016. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
Williamson, Martin. "Deaths in Formula One." ESPN UK. ESPN.com., Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
Young, Henry. "Niki Lauda: 'Too Much Safety Will Destroy F1'" CNN. Cable News Network, 1
Aug. 2016. Web. 3 Nov. 2016.