How a deadly sport became “safe”: which lifesavers are in an F1 car? † formula 1

Perhaps the most important safety feature on an F1 car is the survival cage. And take that name quite literally: it is a carbon shell that protects the F1 driver against serious crashes.

The survival cage – also called monocoque – is an almost indestructible construction of carbon fibers and high-density laminate panels. It consists of one part, on which the other parts of the car are mounted.

In that cocoon (a kind of bathtub), which cannot be pierced by flying debris, an F1 driver is safe.

Just look at the serious crash of Romain Grosjean in 2020 at the Sakhir circuit. His Haas car flew through the railing, breaking in two, but miraculously, Grosjean was left with only burns.

Robert Kubica also experienced in 2007 how strong the monocoque is. In the Canadian GP, ​​the Pole crashed into a concrete wall and was able to get out with only a sprained ankle and a minor concussion.

The only weak point of the monocoque is that the top is open. To avoid crushing the F1 driver when the car rolls over, there is the roll cage just behind the driver’s head.

The roll cage is a very strong piece of material, which is incorporated in the top air scoop. There is also such a piece just in front of the steering wheel. Those two support points should protect the driver’s head if the car is turned upside down.

Or that’s how it works in theory. In Guanyu Zhou’s crash at Silverstone, the roll cage was unable to withstand the impact of the blow. Photos of the wreck clearly show that the roll cage has completely disappeared.

That the roll cage was not enough to protect the driver’s head was shown in 2014 when Jules Bianchi crashed into a tow truck during the Japanese GP and received a huge blow to his head.

Bianchi suffered severe brain damage and the Frenchman died in hospital almost a year later. After the first fatal accident in F1 after Ayrton Senna (in 1994), the International Motorsport Federation (FIA) came up with the halo.

The titanium bracket above the cockpit – in the shape of a flip-flop – was supposed to protect the riders from flying debris after a crash. The halo can support the weight of a London double-decker bus – about 12,000 kilograms.

Despite initial driver protests at the 2018 introduction, Guanyu Zhou will be all too happy with the halo on his Alfa Romeo. Otherwise he might not have been able to retell the crash at Silverstone.

Fuel and a crash: never a good combination. To avoid fuel leaks in a crash, the FIA ​​introduced a fuel bag to replace the metal fuel tanks as early as the 1970s. They had less chance of tearing on impact.

Today’s fuel bags are made of a combination of military Kevlar, the same material used to make bulletproof vests, and rubber.

Since Niki Lauda was nearly burned alive at the Nurburgring in 1976, F1 drivers’ fireproof overalls have progressed rapidly.

The racing suits must be able to withstand a fire and this is extensively tested. The coveralls are exposed to temperatures up to 1,000°C and then it is measured how long it takes for the inner layer to warm up to 24°C.

Overalls must be able to survive 12 seconds, the shoes and gloves 11 seconds. And those are just the minimum requirements. Fortunately for Romain Grosjean, who was caught in a blaze for 29 seconds, his overalls lasted longer.

It should also come as no surprise that Grosjean mainly suffered burns to his hands. An F1 driver’s hands are the only part of the body that is protected by only one layer of fire-resistant material. Even the helmet has a layer of Kevlar incorporated.

An F1 driver’s underwear, balaclava (or balaclava) and socks must also be fire resistant. Race directors Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas even made it clear this season that piercings and jewelry are not welcome in an F1 car. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had to remove his nose piercing.

Marshalls are ready with fire extinguishers along the track to intervene quickly in the event of an accident, but F1 cars also have a built-in fire extinguisher. A fire can be brought under control more quickly using heat sensors.

Mick Schumacher demonstrated how such a fire extinguisher works in 2020 in Formula 2. A piece of rubber that flew off his tire caused his fire extinguisher to be accidentally activated in the Austrian GP.

With a seat belt, an F1 driver sits tightly constricted in his cockpit. The leather helmet with goggles was also exchanged for a closed racing helmet in the 1960s.

But it had to be even safer during the blackest weekend in F1 history. In two days, Roland Ratzenberger (skull fracture) and Ayrton Senna died in 1994 in San Marino.

In order to limit the forces that a rider’s head and neck have to deal with in a crash, the HANS system was introduced. The slightly more manageable term for the Head and Neck Support System.

The HANS system is a bracket on the shoulders that limits the movement of the helmet. For example, not only the neck and shoulder muscles have to take the impact.