Formula 1, it is a sport that has become loved by petrol heads the world over. The pinnacle in everything Motorsport; from the technology, power, innovation and speed. For the past 63 years it has become the place where fans can marvel at the feats of engineering that have gone on to surpass what was thought possible. Some of the world’s greatest minds coming together can create a wondrous spectacle, all for the benefit of the battle hardened rain soaked F1 fans, camping around the greatest circuits in the world to marvel at the teams latest creations.
However there has always been a lingering regret throughout the decades, one problem that could have potentially destroyed Formula 1 as we know of it today, and one that took the lives of by far the greatest drivers to walk the planet. This problem, as all F1 fans are all too aware of is the paramount safety of the drivers, and it perhaps took the greatest catastrophes in the sport, to eventually change the way people thought about safety, in what is still now a very dangerous form of Motorsport.
Recently the F1 community were mourning the loss of a man that epitomised what modern Formula 1 has become, who went on to potentially be the sole reason for the astonishing record of 18 straight years without a fatality on the race track and it goes without saying, that the subject of this article will without coincidence, mostly tie back to the tireless efforts of the magnificent icon that is Sidney Watkins OBE. His achievements have been decorated enormously in the past couple of weeks in celebration of what he achieved as head medical delegate of Formula 1 for over 26 years, and it all stems back down to the fact that, without “The Prof” many drivers we know today would no longer be with us without the irreplaceable work achieved by Sid.
A few weeks ago huge concerns were raised once again over the safety of Formula 1, after a horrifying incident that involved double World Champion Fernando Alonso which saw him almost take a blow to the head from the Lotus car of Romain Grosjean, which decided to take flight over the Spaniard’s Ferrari. The media storm that ensued explored numerous paths that Formula 1 could take, in order to ensure incidents like that experienced at Spa did not become fatal in the future, with closed cockpits fighting it’s way to the top of the “priority list” by many.
Now this subject has done the rounds within the F1 fraternity and has been written about by a lot of people, including yours truely, but do not fear it is not what we will be exploring in this piece. While the recent safety concerns have highlighted that perhaps Formula 1 isn’t entirely Health and Safety proof, what we need to remember is danger is part and parcel of Motorsport, and without a certain element of this primeval high, would go on to make the sport as a whole far more stale, it is after all part of the reason why F1 drivers become addicted to the sport they love. That feeling on being on the edge is irreplaceable in a driver’s eyes and is partly the reason why it prompted Kimi Raikkonen to release a sentence that I feel epitomises the situation as a whole:
I think this sport is dangerous and if you are not happy to take the risk then you should do something else. I am sure there are plenty of drivers who are willing to take the risk driving a Formula One car as it is now”.
Now while the focus has been on improving the already impeccable safety standards within Formula 1 after this incident, I thought it would be wise to explore exactly how far the sport has come as a whole since the dawn of 1950 and the first Official Formula 1 season. Now of course, to dissect the entire history of safety would be incredibly difficult so I thought what would be best, would be to explore in sections the rate of advancement that has been shown in safety standards in all warps and areas of the sport.
The early days
It is only wise that, to explore how far safety has come, to understand what lack of it drivers had when the sport was in its infancy back during the 50’s and 60’s. It was a time that has been celebrated by many, when Formula 1 racing was perhaps in its most purist form. It is no coincidence that many drivers after their careers referred to F1 cars as “death on wheels” during this period, where drivers sat on the fuel tanks – unguarded from being pierced, and cars were made out of highly flammable materials. Drums brakes were considered the norm on 400-500hp cars, a view that is considered the stone age in today’s technological battle. Fuel mixtures were one of huge controversy that became the cause of ferocious fires that saw a large reliance on Methyl and Benzene.
It is a time that has gone down in history as perhaps the most dangerous, where drivers became “real men” through the taming of these savage beasts that were solely built for taking someone around the Nordschleife as fast as possible, without the thought of a single safety feature. It was a period that drivers accepted their fate long before their death, during a time of no seatbelts, leather helmets and goggles and the up most chivalry between drivers, in knowing that there was 1 in 5 chance that they would not walk away from a Grand Prix during a season. Medical support was considered nonexistent and a serious incident almost certainly induced death for the occupant.
It is these horrifying flaws in safety that took the life of the fastest man to ever grip a steering wheel in Jimmy Clark, a loss of such magnitude that the whole of Formula 1 world mourned for years. It came as the biggest shock in F1 history, how could the fastest man alive succumb to such a premature death?
The reality however was that death became an integral part of Formula 1 which took the lives of not only Jimmy, but Wolfgang Von Trips, Mike Hawthorn and most famously Jochen Rindt, who became the only post humorous World Champion after his fatal accident during practice at Monza in 1970.
Times are changing
It was this reputation that Formula 1 had earned that disgusted Triple World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who himself retired prematurely after the thought of losing team mate Francois Cevert became too much for the Scot to handle. After experiencing a life threatening crash himself in 1966, becoming trapped for almost 20 minutes in his overturned BRM at Spa, Sir Jackie knew the risks all too well, this was a man that was hell bent on becoming a pioneer for increased driver safety – one that was met with stiff opposition from event organisers and track owners who considered him nothing more than a nuisance.
That was all to change however when one man stepped in to the world of Formula 1, who went on to become an inspiration amongst drivers, who was none other than Proffesor Sidney Watkins. In the aftermath of the accident that went on to take the life of Ronnie Peterson in 1978 at Monza, he was disgusted with the way current safety standards Formula 1 had settled for. How could it be that the pinnacle of Motorsport still played Russian roulette with driver’s safety?
By this time fireproof clothing and larger cockpits had been introduced in order to make the risk of fatality hugely lower, in both instances to succumbing to burns in the event of a fire and safe extraction of a driver for marshals.
However it was not satisfactory with Sid, who looked to directly take control of the situation and turn it on its head. No longer did track medical equipment consist of a simple tent and first aid kit, it was this black day that Sid demanded to Bernie that a medical car, better safety equipment, an anaesthetist and medevac were all provided at every Grand Prix. This in order to ensure that in case of emergency Formula 1 could respond in the best way possible – by saving the lives of the hero’s of F1 – The Drivers.
This could not prevent what is still considered one of the biggest tragedies in Formula 1 history however, which in 1982 at Zolder, saw the world lose yet another hero in the highly inspirational Gilles Villeneuve, a man as famous for going sideways as with his brutal speed. It was a controversial incident that saw him thrown from his car as he somersaulted over the circuit and succumb to horrendous head injuries.
It is this incident that potentially paved the way for the “modern era” and was met with the full support of the FIA, safety for the very first time was at the forefront of the sports minds and it was all thanks to the efforts of one man.
The Biggest Loss For Formula 1
Sidney Watkins continued to work with both drivers and the FIA to introduce new measures to ensure that drivers were at the forefront of safety within Formula 1, new safety cells were strengthened and lengthened to ensure drivers legs and bodies were better protected and in 1988, mandatory crash tests were introduced to ensure in the case of a terrifyingly high incident, the core crash structure of a Formula 1 car was best suited to withstand the tremendous forces being experienced.
Formula 1 as a sport enjoyed its greatest safety record in its history, and was now 12 years without fatality when on track, something that 20 years previous was considered impossible by the standards of the day.
But that of course would all change when F1 perhaps lost its most influential and brightest talent on the 1st of May 1994. Ayrton Senna would go on to lose his life in that iconic incident at Tamburello that shook the whole of the F1 community, and indeed the world to its core. It perhaps goes down as the saddest day in Formula 1 history, and one in which that will remembered for eternity. Not only did we on that day lose the most charismatic and talented driver in all of F1 history, Professor Sidney Watkins lost a dear friend. This alongside Ratzenberger’s critical accident only 1 day beforehand signified that perhaps once again F1 had reached a point of paramount importance when it came to significantly improving the crash structure around that of the driver. Not only had Formula 1 paid the biggest price for evident flaws, but it signified the end to an impeccable 12 years without fatality.
Immediately following this tragic day, a huge rethink was needed and The FIA Expert Advisory Safety Committee was the result of this. The Professor was made chairman and from that day since not a single fatality has been recorded in Formula 1 on the race track. Infact Sid, during 1994 upon hearing news that he was to become chairman, approached head of FISA at the time max Mosley and said that the cars would need huge amounts of work done to improve the overall safety in Formula 1. It was here perhaps that was the doctor’s most defining moment, after the tragic loss of his close friend, Sid’s personal mission was to make sure Formula 1 as a whole would not have to go through such trauma once again.
This led to 1995 and perhaps the biggest leap in history when it comes to safety within the sport, using an old McLaren chassis, the Professor studied and researched new safety improvements to be implemented over the winter, and it resulted in huge strides forward. The Breadth of seatbelts were increased to ensure chest injuries were reduced to a minimum, Higher cockpit protection was introduced, protective pads were placed behind the drivers head to minimise skull fractures, padding within the monocoque of the cars, and collapsible steering columns. These changes alongside an engine reduction from 3.5L to 3L, raised ride heights, smaller front and rear wings paved the way to what we have now in Formula 1, that being a record of no deaths on track in over 18 years.
Can Danger Ever be eradicated?
While the FIA have continued to work tirelessly on building on the foundations that were implemented during that 1995 F1 season, an ever present commitment to paramount safety of drivers and crew has always been evident. This has been further compounded when the HANS device was officially announced as being a mandatory piece of driver equipment for 2003, with the focus on reducing the risk of serious neck and spinal injuries caused in a serious impact. This is perhaps the greatest step forward in driver safety in recent history, as both Dale Earnhardt and Greg Moore in Nascar and Champcar respectively, lost their lives due to unsurvivable spinal injuries suffered in incidents, Moore in 1999 and Earnhardt in 2001 both prompting the full use of the HANS device as mandatory equipment in both series.
While in Formula 1, it is extremely rare now to see spinal and neck injuries due to the huge advancements in Kevlar reinforced cells and crumple zones on each car which are built to absorb energy upon impact of an object at high speed, the HANS has taken a huge step forward in ensuring no driver has to succumb to such injuries again.
But can danger ever be fully eradicated in such a fast and furious sport? Where drivers like Kimi as stated above accepts a certain element of danger will always be present.
Well the FIA have gone to extreme lengths since the turn of the century to ensure that, on Sid’s wishes Formula 1 stay’s true to its safety first policy. Circuits on the calendar have been brutally changed in regards to run off areas, and safety walls have been brought into place where both the FIA and drivers feel a potential large accident can occur. This has prompted some negativity from fans however that these changes, do indeed take away some of the character and challenge from race tracks, where if in the past drivers made mistakes, they would be punished due to a gravel trap being present.
Whether the FIA are right to adapt the most prestigious circuits on the calendar including the likes of Spa and Monza is another matter all together, however all these measures have become part of the reason Formula 1 has become perhaps the safest form of Motorsport in the world – perhaps you need to ask yourself; Does the safety of drivers when on track, take priority over the potential risks older circuits if not changed pose drivers during a race weekend?
What we do need to remember however, is that although to a certain extent you can control the safety of constants in the sport such as drivers, cars, and circuits etc. There are variables still present which are totally unable to control. Freak accidents that on another day would not be given a second thought. The starkest examples of this in recent times could be the Felipe Massa incident from 2009 and of course that extremely sad day at Brands Hatch where we regrettably lost a true star in Henry Surtees due to a loose wheel flying across the circuit. That incident in Spa had the potential to become yet another example.
With safety becoming a more and more pressing issue in the world’s fastest sport, it is extremely easy to forget just how far it has come from the days of leather caps and no medical equipment. The progress has been astounding and for that we do have to thank one man – Professor Sidney Watkins. Drivers now can be thankful that when a serious incident does a occur, the safety measures that are in place today allow them to walk unharmed – the biggest example being Robert Kubica’s incident in 2007 at Montreal. Perhaps to enforce further safety advancements in Formula 1 drivers need to be made more aware of their actions, and the increased risks they continue to take since cars have become the safest they have ever been.
While Formula 1 has perhaps taken the mantle as the pioneer in Motorsport safety, there will always be that element of danger. Motorsport is dangerous, it always has been and always will be, while we cannot control the variables that are at play each race weekend, we can do our best to control the constants, which to this day the FIA have managed brilliantly to ensure we are now 18 years without fatality – A magnificent achievement given the situation some 63 years ago.
By James Parker
Bio
My name is James Parker I am head of Business Development at Official Merchandise and I have been a Motorsports and Formula 1 fan for over 15 years. If you enjoy my work you can follow me on Twitter @F1Jp044, my personal blog which you can find here: http://www.official-merchandise.com/blog/ or if you have any questions you can email me at info@official-merchandise.com