Bravo! Car safety

[enemy-ace]

After watching the race again, I have to say Bravo! to the men designing the modern F1 car. After so many shunts, some quite spectacular, not a single driver was seriously injured. Excellent work people, everybody involved in making this sport safer should be commended!

[Tristan]

Five years ago, Alonso would have two broken legs like Panis AT THE VERY LEAST. Good stuff.

[Tristan]

...well, you know what I mean.

[chezza]

Yes I have to agree there, well done all the designers. I dread to think what injuries could have happened if the accidents had occured only a few years ago.

[Lee Janotta]

Indeed, applause all around for those designing the safest race cars we've ever seen. I may be a bit psycho with circuits, but I've no argument with the car being as safe as possible!

[Jay]

I think the HANS device might have helped Alonso in his big shunt too actually... It's hard to say, but you'd think in a head on collision like that he'd have some neck pain as well, which he didn't seem to have.

I wouldn't rest yet though. To an extent it was good luck that prevent it from being worse. All that has to happen is a car hit the wall at a wrong angle and people will be saying F1 cars are unsafe again.

[Tristan]

Actually, I think we should be appluading the FIA too. Without them the car designers would not be making their cars as safe as they are.

[Lee Janotta]

Well, Tristan, the FIA regs have been a mixed bag at best... Even blind squirrels still find a few nuts.

But yes, without the rules, the fuel tank would still be sculpted around the driver's body!

[jetsetter]

It's amazing how far car safety has come in such a short time but they can't afford to rest on their laurels & get complacent.

[high contrast]

This is a worthy thread...over the 43 years I've followed motor racing, I've lost count of the drivers I seen die or maimed in our sport in single seater formulae, (not to mention tears shead)

[steve_r]

Yeah, but did you see the marshall have to jump over the tyre wall when TGF (I think, but it may have been one of the many others) crashed at turn 3?

He was lucky, very lucky.

[chezza]

the worst thing i have seen is one of thepics in autosport! One of the marshals was standing between the car and the wall, now i know they say keep the car between u and the track, but if another car had come flying in then he could have been squashed completely!

[pirenzo]

I think we need to thank all the Oval nutters in the USA personally. Without their crazy crashes, nobody'd have bothered with frontal impact safety at all. Now we see the benefits. But the IRL and Champ cars do have an advantage; they're a bit bulkier...

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by Jay
I think the HANS device might have helped Alonso in his big shunt too actually... It's hard to say, but you'd think in a head on collision like that he'd have some neck pain as well, which he didn't seem to have.

Pat Symond, Renault's executive director of engineering, was confident that the device helped Alonso escape unhurt from his heavy impact with the wall. "Overall, I think the device worked extremely well," he said. "The facts of the accident were that after a relatively light impact with the wheel on the circuit, of around 4.5g, the accident data recorder indicated the first impact with the wall was a 35g lateral and 35g longitudinal impact, followed by a second side impact of 60g.

"When you consider that our tests are conducted at 40g, that shows these were very big impacts. However, Fernando has suffered absolutely no problems with his neck, which is unusual in an accident of this magnitude. I think we can judge that the device did prevent him from a degree of injury, and we are very pleased with its performance."

-autosport

[Sodemo]

I want to see Imola return to its original configuration, with the flat Tamburello curve, flat Villenuve kink, and no back chicane.

Tracks have been castrated in the name of paraniod safety.

[EERO]

I loved the Tamburello, too, but there is simply not enough room for a decent run off area. The wall cannot be moved back because there is a stream behind it. IThe chicane is dreadful but they need a major re-design of the whole sequence. Returning to the old layout is just not an option.

[Lee Janotta]

I've said it dozens of times, EERO, and no one's ever given me a reason why they can't take the apex of Tamburello (the old curve), and bring it towards the INSIDE wall, making room for runoff on the outside. Just seems simple to me.

[bcobbus]

There is no such thing as a "safe" racetrack. Going back to the original Tumberello however is not an option, even if moved inwards. Sadly I know, but the death of Mr. Senna was sadder....

And as far as the us oval nutters here in the States comming up with new devises, well they have been much needed. The last F1 driver to be killed was Senna in 94, the lsat prominant driver to be killed in the big three here in the States, "CART, IRL, NASCAR" was Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500. But before that, there was many deaths within a short period of time.

[Sodemo]

But with car safety as it is now the cars could withstand a bomb blast. I think returning to the original Imola Tamburello wouldn't be such a bad thing, Why not? The final 2 turns at Indy are similar, as it "The Tunnel" at Monaco.

Even so, the safety brigade would probably make them build it inside of its original position, which would have been the calm sensible thing to do after 94'.

[bcobbus]

Yes the tunnel in Monaco is bad news waiting to happen, but indy is another matter. The cars going through Tumberello would be traveling at a higher rate of speed, plus there is the soft wall in use at indy. I wonder if they have thought about putting it at any other tracks?