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Niki Lauda’s 1976 fire accident at the Nürburgring is one of the most famous accidents in the history of Formula 1. Probably also because the Austrian survived the accident.
His burns on his face became a symbol of the Formula 1 era at the time. As a world champion, Lauda united the glorious sides of sport and the dangerous ones.
Four drivers were not so lucky and died in Formula 1 races because their cars caught fire: Stuart Lewis-Evans in the 1958 Moroccan GP, Lorenzo Bandini in the 1967 Monaco GP, Jo Schlesser in the French GP of 1968 or Roger Williamson at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix.
Ronnie Peterson would have survived his fire accident in 1978, but died in hospital of a stroke.
Race suit protects Grosjean
Since then, various safety measures have ensured that fire accidents in Formula 1 no longer occur. Really. Until the Bahrain GP.
But the terrible accident of Romain Grosjean shows that all efforts, including making the pilots’ racing suits increasingly fire resistant, are not in vain.
Racing suits are made from a flame retardant material called Nomex. In them, racing drivers can survive temperatures of up to 840 degrees for 35 seconds. It took Grosjean 27 seconds to break free from the blazing inferno.
Driver protected from gases and acids
Not only the overalls, but also the shoes, underwear, gloves and face masks are now made from the special synthetic fiber.
This not only protects drivers from the fire itself, but also from aggressive gases and acids. This is still important, especially with modern Formula 1 racers. Thanks to the hybrid elements, batteries with toxic materials are also on board.
A competition suit costs 1200 euros, weighs 1.9 kilograms and has to withstand 820 degree fire ten seconds in advance. That also saved Grosjean, although the Frenchman lost a shoe in his accident.
“He goes out without a shoe, that means his feet should have gone into the pedal box when he goes out. When he goes out, he basically takes the shoe off himself. That’s not a big deal. But of course the shoe protects against fire. Hence the burns. on the ankle, “Alexander Wurz explained his assumption ORF.
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HALO saves Grosjean’s life
But it’s not just racing suits that are safer. Today’s cars are also made of carbon fiber and no longer easily flammable magnesium alloys.
The fact that Grosjean was not beheaded when he hit the railing is due to the HALO cockpit protection, which was introduced in 2018 and initially received a lot of criticism.
The titanium bar, which is being built in Büren near Paderborn, has to withstand forces of twelve tons from above, 4.7 tons from the front and 9.5 tons from the side. The airbox roll bar is now designed for a 27 ton load.
Rosberg: “Our bulletproof vest”
The safety cell, called a monocoque, consists of a Kevlar-carbon composite and is loaded with 20 tons from the front and 25 tons from the side during the crash test.
“It’s our bulletproof vest,” former world champion Nico Rosberg once said. The wheels are also attached to the monocoque with three Kevlar straps.
BTW: Halo’s cockpit bar was also introduced due to Jules Bianchi’s accident at Suzuka in 2014.
Today his mother wrote to a French journalist: “You introduced Halo after the death of my son, today he saved Romain’s life. It makes me happy.”
Here’s how Formula 1 improved safety over the years:
It was not until 1952 that Formula 1 introduced mandatory helmets for drivers, and seat belts were not mandatory until 1967.
1970: For safety reasons, fans must now stand at least three meters from the track. A separation wall between the track and the pit lane will be mandatory.
1971: In the event of a fire, drivers must be able to leave the cab within five seconds (on test).
Flame retardant clothing only became mandatory in 1975
1972: The six-point seat belt becomes mandatory so that drivers do not get out of the car when they roll over, two years after the Jochen Rindt accident.
1978: Professor Dr. Sid Watkins becomes Formula 1’s first chief physician. The medical framework is getting better and better.
1979: Cabin openings are enlarged to make it easier to get out of the car in an emergency. Some pilots compete in five-layer flame retardant overalls for the first time, including Niki Lauda.
1980: A route hospital is required, 1986 also a rescue helicopter.
1981: The carbon fiber monocoque is established and the footwell is added.
1985: The first crash tests for the front section of the racing car are included in the regulations. Starting in 1988, these load tests are also available for the entire monocoque. Over the years, the rules have been toughened and extended to other components.
1991: Roll bar, belt and survival cell tests.
1992: For the first time, the use of the safety car is precisely regulated. Before that, it was only used sporadically.
1994: Following the death of Ayrton Senna, who had an accident at Imola, this season 27 corners are disabled in various fields.
1994: No more running speed in the pit lane. Only 80 km / h are allowed in training and 120 km / h in races.
1995: Side crash tests are introduced.
1997: Every car must now have an accident data recorder on board. In addition, the rear end must now withstand crash tests.
1999: So that the tires do not become a deadly projectile in the event of an accident, they must be fastened to the cab with straps.
2000: The impact speed in the frontal crash test increases from 13 to 14 meters per second. The carbon fiber walls of the passenger compartment must be at least 3.5 millimeters thick.
In 2001 the cabin walls were raised.
2003: The Head and Neck Support System (HANS) is introduced, which stabilizes and protects the driver’s head and neck in the event of an accident.
2005: The passenger compartment protective cushions are reinforced. Tire retaining cords now have to withstand forces of up to six tons. The front wings and other aerodynamic components can no longer be made of any material. Extra hard Kevlar is a must.
2006: For the first time, experiments are carried out with Tecpro barriers as route limits. Plastic blocks absorb 40% more energy than conventional tire piles.
2011: Helmets now have to have a Zylon tape over the visor to protect the rider from flying pieces.
2015: Full chassis with Zylon protection, a bulletproof material.
2016: After Jules Bianchi’s fatal accident with an excavator in Suzuka, the virtual SafetyCar phase is introduced.
2018: Halo cab protection becomes mandatory, three Kevlar tie downs instead of two on the tires.
