Innovation
Formula 1 safety: How F1 drivers are protected from accidents
by Steve Rendle
5min read
Formula 1 is a dangerous sport. That’s a fact. The risk will never be completely eradicated, but, since the late 20th century, there has been a major focus on improving safety throughout motorsport.
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The first 20 years of F1 saw few concessions to safety, and it really was a gladiatorial arena, with injury and death considered to be a part of the sport.
The initiative to improve safety began during the late 1960s and early 1970s following a pioneering campaign by three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who lost over 50 friends and colleagues to motorsport tragedies and experienced several frightening accidents himself. Stewart’s legacy continues today, and significant improvements have been made to reduce risk in all forms of motorsport.
Among the major improvements made in the early days of safety awareness were the introduction of circuit medical facilities, along with specialist medical teams, quick-response rescue vehicles, helicopter ambulances, impact-absorbing trackside barriers and run-off areas.
Major strides were also made to improve the safety of the cars themselves.
The impact of Professor Sid Watkins
Besides Stewart, another pioneering figure who played a major part in the advancement of safety was Professor Sid Watkins – the FIA Medical Delegate from 1978 to 2004, now a role currently held by Dr Ian Roberts.
Professor Sid Watkins (R) with Michael Schumacher in 2005
Watkins, who sadly passed away in 2012, worked closely with F1 race director and safety delegate Charlie Whiting, another sorely missed member of the F1 community who died five years ago and was instrumental in introducing the halo device to F1. Watkins and Whiting worked tirelessly to constantly evaluate and improve safety, and the foundations they laid have been built on by their successors.
The F1 car itself is designed from the outset with safety in mind. The technical regulations stipulate the incorporation of a comprehensive set of features aimed at reducing the risk of injury to drivers, trackside officials and spectators.
In terms of driver protection, the most important feature of the car is the survival cell, which is integral with the chassis, and incorporates the fuel tank and cockpit – separated by a fire-resistant bulkhead.
An illustration showing the layout of the crash structure that encompasses the driver and fuel tank in an F1 car
The halo device
As part of the chassis homologation process, rigorous testing is carried out, including ‘squeeze’ and impact tests to ensure that the survival-cell structure will remain intact in the event of an accident. Additionally, the regulations stipulate that roll structures must be fitted to the car, comprising a rear roll structure provided by a roll hoop formed around the airbox inlet above the driver’s head, with the halo forming the front roll structure.
The halo – a standard component supplied to all teams – is manufactured from titanium, and its primary role is to protect the driver’s head in the event of an accident. The halo has proved its worth in several incidents in recent years, not least Romain Grosjean’s horrific accident in Bahrain in 2020.
An illustration of the halo, a standard component supplied to teams in order to protect the driver’s head from objects
Formula 1 wheel tethers are located within the suspension wishbones as shown in this illustration
The role of crash structures
Beyond the survival cell, cars are fitted with front, rear and side impact structures, carefully designed to absorb energy by disintegrating in the event of a serious impact – hence significant amounts of carbon dust and debris can often be seen surrounding a car following an accident.
Following several incidents involving detached wheels, wheel tethers have been fitted to F1 cars since 1998, and from 2022 rear-wing and rear crash-structure tethers have also been fitted, with the aim of preventing detached components from causing injury.
A one-piece foam padding structure is provided around the cockpit opening to protect the driver’s head, and this component has to be removed for the driver to enter and exit the car. Additionally, foam padding is fitted above the driver’s legs to minimise the risk of injury. The driver’s six-point harness also forms an important safety device, restraining the driver in the event of an impact and featuring a quick-release turnbuckle.
The rear crash structure or rear crash box protrudes behind the rear wheels
Fire poses a major risk for a driver in the event of an accident, and the car’s fuel load is the most significant risk factor, hence the bladder-type fuel cell is designed to be highly resistant to ripping and penetration. Fuel-line connections feature dry-break couplings designed to prevent fuel spillage, and those connected to the engine are designed to separate from the connections on the chassis if the engine become detached, sealing the fuel lines.
Should a fire break out, the car is fitted with an extinguisher system incorporating discharge nozzles both in the cockpit and also aimed at the fuel supply connections on the engine. The extinguisher system can be operated by the driver, or by marshals using external switches. Additionally, a master electrical cut-off switch is integrated with the fire-extinguisher switches to isolate the car’s electrical systems.
Of course, the driver also has their own personal safety equipment – including their seat, clothing, helmet and Head and Neck System (HANS) device.
Aston Martin Aramco F1 driver Fernando Alonso wearing his race helmet and HANS device at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Each driver has a bespoke seat moulded to fit their body shape, and the seat is designed so that the driver can be removed from the cockpit still in his seat. FIA-specification lifting straps are incorporated into the seat, which can be connected to corresponding straps carried by emergency teams in a standard FIA Extrication Bag. A head-stabilisation device can be fitted via a standard slot in the rear of the seat.
The driver’s clothing – race suit, underwear, balaclava, gloves and boots – are fire-resistant, and drivers wear ‘biometric’ gloves incorporating sensors to monitor heart rate and blood oxygen content. The driver’s lightweight helmet provides head protection, and helmet design is the subject of constant improvement and updating.
Finally, all the cars are fitted with an FIA-specification Accident Data Recorder (ADR). This unit incorporates a rolling data-logger which stores two minutes’ worth of data. The ADR stops recording in the event of an accident, enabling the data recorded prior to the accident to be analysed.
The ADR collects data from a high-speed camera mounted above the front of the cockpit and pointing towards the driver, from an accelerometer incorporated in one of the driver’s radio earpieces, from accelerometers mounted within the survival cell and from the driver’s biometric gloves.
The FIA Marshalling system allows Race Control to show virtual flags around the circuit and on drivers’ cockpit displays
The system is also connected to the FIA Marshalling system (which repeats trackside marshals’ signals on the car’s cockpit display, allows communications between Race Control and the driver and incorporates a GPS car-position sensor) and to a medical warning light located in front of the cockpit which illuminates to notify marshals according to the severity of an accident.
In summary, safety in F1 is an ongoing priority, and lessons learned and data collated is shared across all forms of FIA-sanctioned motorsport in order to improve the safety of the sport as a whole.
While the sport will never be risk-free, as the safety technology, data recording and the ability to analyse it continually improves, so the risks are reduced.