F1 Safety Features

The Formula One racing series is, arguably, the pinnacle of motor sport and has been since the racing format's modern era began in the 1950s. Twenty-two drivers race state-of-the-art racing cars at speeds approaching 200 mph. Although not a Formula One race, the horrific crash at Le-Mans in 1955--which killed 77 spectators--changed attitudes toward safety in all motor sport, none more so than in Formula One. Today, the safety of the drivers, spectators, mechanics and track officials is paramount and strictly regulated.

  1. Clothing

    • Formula One drivers wear race suits, underwear, gloves and boots made from a flame-resistant material called Nomex, which is designed to resist temperatures of 840 degrees Celsius for 11 seconds. Each driver wears a bespoke helmet with several built-in safety features. Flame tests ensure that the inside temperature stays below 70 degrees Celsius, and an air filter prevents the driver from breathing harmful dust and fumes. Mechanics also wear Nomex race overalls as do safety marshals.

    HANS

    • During a severe head-on impact, the driver's neck can be subject to enormous loads. Roland Ratzenberger suffered a fatal injury in just such a crash when qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in 1994. Today's Formula One cars feature a device called HANS--Head and Neck Support--to prevent such injuries. Introduced in 2003, HANS prevents the head from flying forward during impact and consists of a carbon fiber collar, worn around the drivers neck, that is attached to the safety helmet.

    Harness

    • Drivers are held in place within the car by a five-point safety harness. Not only designed to protect the driver during an accident, the safety harness prevents the driver from moving around in the cockpit during braking and cornering. Although they can reach the release mechanism, drivers themselves are unable to tighten the harness. This is a job for their race engineer.

    Cockpit

    • Formula One racing cars are built around a monocoque containing the driver cockpit. The monocoque replaces the separate chassis and bodywork of earlier cars. Impact tests are carried out on each monocoque design to ensure the driver has a high probability of surviving an accident. The driver cockpit is surrounded by a safety cell through which no fuel, engine coolant or oil lines are allowed to pass. Above the cockpit is the roll bar, which prevents the driver's head from coming into contact with the ground in the event of a car rolling over. Integrated into the body work, the roll bar is subject to tests in which it must not deform by more than 50 mm and is able to withstand loads of up to 9 metric tonnes.

    Crumple Zones

    • Should a car be involved in a high-speed impact, much of the energy is dissipated by the use of crumple zones around the safety cell containing the cockpit. While this is designed to protect the driver, it can also lead to the wheels detaching from the car and causing a hazard to spectators and track officials. Safety tethers, introduced in 1998, are designed to prevent this from happening. If the tethers do break and the wheel becomes free, although still dangerous, the amount of inertia in the free wheel is reduced.

    Barriers

    • Modern race circuits are surrounded by crash barriers and high safety fences designed to keep cars and debris on the track away from spectators. Tire barriers are placed in front of some barriers to reduce the energy experienced by the driver during impact. Gravel traps are used to slow cars down during a crash so that any impact with the barriers is reduced. Run-off areas--level tarmac areas adjacent to the track--are also placed strategically around the circuit to give drivers an opportunity to reduce speed if they leave the circuit during an incident.

    Flags

    • Marshals around the circuit use a system of colored flags to alert drivers to possible danger. Waved yellow flags indicate that there is a hazard ahead and drivers must slow down and be prepared to stop. A waved blue flags shows a driver that a faster car is approaching, and he should be prepared to move out of the way. This only happens if the car is about to be lapped and not when racing for position. Red flags indicate that the race has been stopped, and drivers should return to the pit area or be prepared to stop. Modern circuits also supplement these flags with safety warning light systems.

    Safety Car

    • The safety car was introduced to Formula One in 1996. If there is an accident or debris on the track that needs to be cleared, the safety car is deployed. Drivers follow the car around the circuit at greatly reduced speeds ensuring marshals are in less danger if they need to venture onto the circuit. Prior to the safety car, marshals would risk their lives on track protected only by waved flags.