Safety Features In F1

Formula 1 was during decades an incredibly dangerous sport. F1 is still to some extent a dangerous sport but it has greatly improved since the 60s where it was expected that each driver entering a race had 20% chance of dying.

In order to improve things the FIA has taken several measures, often prompted by the tragedies on track such as:

• On-track safety measures: improving the guard rails, creating the race marshall position, reducing the speed in the pitlane, changing the run-off zones and the tracks in order to lower the risk of accident, etc.
• On-car safety measures: crash tests on the front and the back of the car, creation of a protective monocoque around the drivers, improved car extraction, auto fire extinguisher, etc.
• Driver equipment: increased helmet, combination, gloves and shoes specifications, HANS system, etc.
• Divers’ training: super license system, training for accident situations, etc.
• FIA Motor Development Fund which researches and develops new safety systems.

In each of these areas, a lot of developments and new features have been created and installed. We will dive in every one of them below.

On-Track Safety Measures

In this area, we will discuss all the evolutions that the FIA has taken on track to make F1 safer.

The FIA started to work on track and turns design in 2001 following the death of a race marshall. They started analyzing tracks in order to find the most dangerous areas and changed them to make them safer.

The most accident-prone turns were changed and limited to 2 for each track. The FIA avoided putting spectators in those areas. Generous run-offs zones have been created in order to allow cars to slow down and eventually meet the barriers at a safer speed. Often time, barriers are doubled with a tyre wall that absorbs the energy of the impact.

The FIA also improved crash barriers’ specifications. Guard rails are here to keep the cars on track whereas fences have been installed in order to protect the crowd from any debris or pieces that could fly following an accident. Usually, the guard rails are made by ARMCO which stands for American Rolling Mill Company.

Since 1970, the FIA also imposes a minimum distance between the spectators and the track. Spectators are behind 2 fences and they are actually quite far from the track verge. Officials also check that the spectators stick to the area they are assigned to.

Further development came when the FIA imposed a wall in order to separate the pits from the starting/finishing straight line. Speed in the pit lane has been greatly diminished and mechanics are forced to wear a full protective fireproof combination. Fire extinguishers are mandatory on all track since 1969 as well as a permanent medical centre since 1980.

The FIA has created the Race Marshall position. Motorsport Marshals are stationed in various points along the track and assist when an accident or any other track problems occur. They can also serve as a first response team.

The FIA also created the Race Director position. The director monitors the safety on track and can stop a race if it is deemed too dangerous. He often does it when the track is under heavy rain. He can also decide to restart a race after a massive crash or pile-up. In 1992, the safety car was introduced. The safety car usually comes out when the race director decides it, meaning when a big accident as occurred or climatic conditions require to slow down.

Since 1963, F1 has also a flag signalling system that aims to improve safety by warning drivers of an approaching accidental area. The system has been improved by lights since then.

Now let’s switch to on-car safety measures.

On-Car Safety Measures

Obviously a big part of safety is not only on-track but within the cars themselves. At the beginning of F1, teams designed their cars to be the fastest possible without a thought for safety. Following the many tragedies that F1 has encountered, it has dramatically changed since. The modern-day F1 car possesses state of the art safety technology and often the on-car techs are found in a regular car a few years later.

The most important part is without a doubt the pre-season testing. In order to race, F1 cars need to pass pre-seasons FIA crash tests. They contain the following tests:

• A frontal dynamic and static crash test
• A rear dynamic and static crash test
• A side dynamic and static crash test
• Test of the roll bar

For each of these tests, the FIA defines deformation thresholds for some areas of the car that can’t be reached after the tests are done. They specifically concern the monocoque (or survival cell which we will explain in a minute), the fuel tank floor, the cockpit rim, the nose, the side of the cockpit, the rear and sides.

Tests also contain a seat belt test. The FIA didn’t stop there and over the years many features were added. All F1 cars have a survival cell or monocoque inside of them. Basically, it is the cockpit surrounded by a deformable crash-protective structure made of materials designed to absorb energy. It has usually a 6 mm thickness and is made of carbon and zylon.

The cockpit is also designed for easy evacuation with a seat that can be lifted directly by a crane avoiding any spinal damage to the driver. The steering wheels are specially designed to be withdrawn quickly in order to allow a quick way out.

Cars are also fitted with a black box, pretty much like a plane, that records all the parameters. It allows doctors to assess the severity of a crash and the FIA to study the data of accidents in order to further improve safety.

Another very important part of safety on which a lot of effort has been made is to have less flying parts after an accident. In an age were many car parts are made of light carbon fibre that can fly at high speed, it is a crucial point to consider. The FIA imposed in 1998 to have the wheels and tyres linked to the chassis with tethers fastened to the wheels and to the chassis. Tethers are made of zylon and can withstand a 500 kg load. They are often changed by teams in order to take zero risks. A second identical tether for each wheel was introduced in 2001.

Safety against fire is also a big point. Every F1 car is equipped with an auto-fire extinguisher spreading fire retardant around the chassis and the engine. It can be activated by the driver of the race marshals remotely. Fuel tanks are equipped with safety foams and safety bladders. Refuelling during the race has also been banned for several years now.

After the death of Jules Bianchi, which remains the last to date of an F1 driver, the HALO was introduced. It aims to protect the drivers against shocks to the head.

Since 1972, a red light is also mandatory on the back of the cars. It is useful to prevent pile-ups and under rainy conditions. Besides the on-track and on-car features, driver equipment plays also a key role in safety.

Driver Equipment

A lot of reasearch has been made in order to improve racing gear.

In 1963, the FIA made protective gear such as overalls and helmets mandatory. Before this date, one could drive an F1 with his bare hands and a t-shirt. In 1968, first recommendations were created for harnesses, fire-resistant gears and shatterproof visors.

Today, the FIA imposes a fire-resistant gear and helmet complying with the latest specs. The overalls used in F1 must withstand temperatures of 600 to 800 degrees Celsius and must be made with Nomex. With this special material, an F1 driver overall can hold for 11 seconds before warming the inside of the suits above 41 degrees.

Drivers’ helmets were also subject to an upgrade. They must comply with the Snell/BSI or SFI certifications. They are fire-resistant, made of carbon fibre and kevlar. Helmets are equipped with an anti-fogging and a ventilation system. Gloves need to be super visible in order to signal problems manually if needed. Shoes and gloves need to be fire-resistant.

The HANS system was also introduced. HANS stands for Head And Neck Support device. Its purpose is to stabilize the driver’s head and back during an accident in order to avoid a severe injury. The system distributes homogenously the energy of the impact instead of having it concentrating on the vertebrae.

You can check here our recommended racing gear section if you want to know more.

Drivers’ Training And Licenses

In 1978, the first F1 driver license was created. It was quickly upgraded to the super license in 1984.

In order to hold a super license, one needs to:

• Be at least 18 of age.
• Hold a grade A competition license.
• Have a valid driving license from one’s country.
• Pass the FIA test knowledge on F1 rules and regulations.
• Complete 80% of at least 2 seasons of any single-seater championship in the Supplement 1 of the FIA regulation.
• Accumulate at least 40 points in the last 3 seasons in any single-seater championship in the Supplement 1 of the FIA regulation.

The single-seater championship in the Supplement 1 of the FIA regulation consists of the major other racing competitions such as F2, F3, Formula E, IndyCar Series, etc. A super license ensures that the drivers have some experience and have a certain level as they need to score 40 points over the last 3 seasons in other major competitions.

Another aspect of safety behaviours is the Driver’s Code of Conduct which details the rules of racing such as how to move when defending oneself against another car trying to overtake.

Drivers are subject to medical tests and training. Before each race, they have to demonstrate that they can get out of their car within 5 seconds. They need to do so without removing anything except their harness and steering wheel.

The FIA Development Fund

Another point worth mentioning is the creation of the FIA Motor Sport Safety Development Fund. Following some hefty fines that the FIA gave to teams who broke the rules, they created this structure with the money gathered.

The aim is to teach people involved in F1 how to race safely. There are safety training for young drivers, training programs for track officials, track inspections methodology training, new ways to improve safety by using new technology, etc. In short, it is the organism that creates new ideas that will improve safety in F1.

Now let’s see how all these safety features have impacted safety in F1.

Evolution of Deaths in F1 Throughout History

Era	Number of Races	Number of Accidents	Driver Injuries	Driver Deaths	Spectator Deaths	Officials Deaths
1950-1962	131	Unkown	Unkown	22	14	0
1963-1967	50	47	2	3	0	0
1068-1972	59	88	3	4	0	0
1973-1977	77	250	5	5	6	1
1978-1982	76	283	3	3	0	1
1983-1987	79	218	2	0	0	0
1988-1992	80	305	1	0	0	0
1993-1997	82	382	11	2	0	0
1998-2002	63	240	7	0	0	2

If we quickly analyze the table above, we will see that the number of accidents and fatalities drastically decreased over the years. This shows that the safety measures taken are working.

During the 50s, there were 22 deaths over 131 races. Almost 2 drivers were dying every year. Now there is 1 death per decade for drivers on average. With much more races by season (20 now compared to 8 in the 50s), there are fewer casualties.

To Wrap It All

F1 is a very dangerous sport as the number of fatalities over the years have shown. The FIA has taken the problem seriously by improving safety in all the areas of the sport.

F1 officials have improved race tracks and car technology by using the latest techs. They improved the racing gear with state of the art materials. They tightened the training and background needed for drivers to race in F1. They are still looking for new ways of improving safety.

For now, they have been succesful in reducing the number of fatalities.