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What others are saying:
Jackie Stewart also said that F1 crashes
are more like aircraft crashes than car crashes. I was at the Aust. GP
2001, and I saw the site of the crash where the marshal was killed. YES safety
can be improved big time for the marshals.
The drivers get all the wiz bang million dollar protection, the guys
that make it all come together get holes in mesh fences between them and
aircraft crashes. its criminal, and someone should be made to pay
bigtime. Deaths like this should not be possible. a simple flap covering
the access holes could easily be made up to protect the spectators and
marshals alike, so says I AND the coroner. The cover-ass approach of
race organisers has gotta change.
Its just too easy for spectators and marshals to be killed going to the
races on a sunday arvo! - Stewart S - Australia
Of course F-1 can be made safer, but the improvements
should be made in the run off areas and the barriers, NOT by making the
tracks slower or by making the cars slower. Admittedly this would
be difficult at some tracks, but we don't need slower races - Jeff S
- USA
Jackie Stewart used to say that he was
paid for his skill, not for risking his life and I think that's the
issue FIA must address. Recently in the U.S. we learned that cars
on some courses can be too fast for the drivers: a CART race in Texas
was cancelled because the "G-forces" were simply beyond human
limits with drivers suffering dizzyness. So there is a human limit
to consider. But in F1 the courses have managed to keep G forces
in the reasonable range while allowing higher speeds. But Spa
certainly looks like a place where changes need to be made in the track,
not in the cars or the drivers. What was perfectly safe when max
speeds were in the 110-20 mph range has become terribly dangerous when
the speed goes up to 180-200 mph. This is simple physics.
You fix the course or you must slow the cars. It's a matter of
time until someone is not as lucky as Burti at courses like Spa and
Monaco. On the other hand, you can never prevent shunts like
Michael's and Burti's at Hockenheim: that's racing. The other is
simply the wonderful human capacity we all have for denial. Before
someone points out the concrete walls at Indy, I also think it's
important to remember what Tony Hulman has done there: he has changed
the regs to slow the cars and designed the F1 track to minimize the
danger as much as possible. I don't see this happening in either
Belgium or Monaco - Jim W - USA
Well I don't think there is much more to
do because every driver races for the thrill of danger, They all know
the consequences. I totally disagree with Mr. Anonymous from the USA, if
you want to slow them down why not let them race in powered granny carts
with Marlboro stickers down the side - Chris - Australia
F-1 is mostly a "laboratory"
where every development made for automobile industry is applied. Safety
is one of the most important things that industry looks for and F-1 must
not be slowed to be safer.
Don't forget today's production cars are every day faster and technology
makes them also safer.
Why then F-1, the highest tech cars in the world couldn't improve safety
at same speeds ?
Long live to the super-fast Formula 1 and good luck to engineers to make
it even safer !!! - Conrad R - Paraguay
F1 cannot be totally safe. It is a
high risk sport. Bear in mind that this year is the 1st year in a
tire war which have not seen since 1998. So it is logical and
obvious that lap times will drop because of the tire competition.
But F1 needs to address the issue of engine specifications, which have
not changed since 1995.
Technology has pushed the present formula of 3-liter, 10-cylinder V
configuration engines to its
limits. The FIA should reduce engine sizes by one-half or a full
liter and limited the cylinders to just 6. And maybe introduce either
weight penalties or rev limiters on certain circuits - No name
provided - USA
If one look at safety in Formula 1,
I think safety concerns three areas that can be considered. 1) The
drivers, 2) the cars and 3) the tracks.
As far as the drivers are concerned I think the Gonverning Body has that
under control in the requirements for granting a Superlicense. They have
to make sure that only competent drivers are allowed to race and I think
they are succeding very well in this regard.
As far as the cars go I think they are very strong and safe given the
nature of the sport and I think they are as safe as is techincally
possible. There may be advancements in the future but I am not technical
enough to be able to contribute proposals in this field. But I do not
think one should make them slower to achieve this. After all F1 is all
about speed. That leaves the tracks and I think improvements in saftey
should be concentrated in this area more than the others while not
discarding the others altogether. And as everybody so far has pointed
out, the run off areas are of critical importance. Address this and you
will have a much safer environment already. In this regard consideration
must be given to the construction of gravel pits, the barriers and the
materials and methods they are constructed of etc. Create a bigger
margin for error. In fact consider the whole area alongside the track
and improve the high risk areas where you can - Johan M - South
Africa
Well...what more can you do to make F1
safer??
Formula 1 is an extreme sport and so it should be and of course you
always have to remind yourself of the high risks involved in the sport.
I really don't know!! I don't think that engines should be slower or
tracks should be full of corners and no speed trap as it would take all
the excitement of overtaking away "such as Hungary" but I do
agree with Coulthard saying that maybe barriers at the sides of the
track should be made safer "maybe if Burti would have smashed into
something else rather than pumped-hard tyres he would have jumped
straight out of the car unhurt" but then again I am not sure of the
answer!!
Great site anyway - Rob - Australia
I agree with most of what Ian M. pointed
out but I'd add: c) down-hill fast corners
perhaps is not a great idea neither d) as D. Coulthard said, run-off
areas should
always be long enough.
About other barriers form, I wonder why not using parachutes in the cars
(in case the
driver turns just a passenger) and why not using airbag-like buffers (or
just hay bags!)
in front of the (netted) tyres?
About car and track speed I prefer fast cars and slow tracks with enough
room for
overtaking (the two combined not going beyond 300 km/h, to say a limit)
- Alberto R - Paraguay
Hi there NewsOnF1, Keep up the good
work.
Luciano's accident proves (for the second time this season) that the
safety codes imposed at F1 tracks throughout the world are exemplary.
This does not mean that Charlie Whiting and his group should not
continue to improve whatever can be improved
BUT
this must not be done at the cost of the speed of the F1 cars or the
thrill and excitement which this generates. High speed corners are the
real test of the drivers. Not jarring chicanes. Otherwise they might as
well rule that F1 should be powered by electric motors for 200x !!
The lessons to be learnt from the latest accident are probably:
a) that down-hill run-offs are not a great idea on fast corners and
that
b) there needs to be additional barriers-forms designed to slow the cars
in these situations. Luciano's car was travelling too fast over a
down-sloping gravel pit = airborne !!
Thus a) the run off needs to be built up so that the cars can dig in to
the gravel and b) perhaps the tyres should be wrapped in netting
(probably NOT nylon) and anchored down.
regards, Ian M - Australia
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