In the past decades, seeing a driver frenetically spin off the racetrack and slam into a barrier at hundreds of kilometers an hour would have resulted in at least severe injuries, if not some deaths.
Nowadays, thanks to technological advancement, it's common for Formel 1 drivers to walk out of scary accidents completely unharmed. You'll see them upset about their crashes rather than fearing for their own safety.
Buckle up your seatbelts because we're going to explore four different safety innovations that are highly recommended in Formula 1 cars.
1. Halo
On public roads, you want to ensure you’re driving a well-maintained vehicle to keep yourself safe. This will also protect your car accident claim value and avoid any hang-ups with your insurance company in the case of a crash. On the track, you must similarly be dedicated to only driving cars that have these safety features to ensure you can prevent problems during a race.
The Halo, which generated controversy when it was introduced in July 2018, consists of a curved bar placed around the driver's cockpit and protects their heads from flying debris or cars. Its main sticking points in debates are that it obstructs a driver's line of sight and was dubbed a detriment to the car's overall aesthetic.
However, it's designed to support ridiculous weights. Lewis Hamilton's close call with Max Verstappen in 2021 as the Dutchman flew over the Mercedes driver's car was a prime example of why the halo is necessary for modern racing.
2. Survival Cell
A longstanding component of Formula 1 cars, the survival cell consists of the central part of the car where the driver is seated. Built out of insanely strong carbon fibre composite, its penetration resistance and crash-protection structure mean it can absorb excessive amounts of energy caused by a collision.
Romain Grosjean's fiery crash in 2020 exemplified the importance of an impenetrable survival cell. The driver collided at an angle that tore the car apart in half, while the monocoque remained intact. Engulfed in a fireball of epic proportions, he was able to walk away with broken ribs and burns to his hands thanks to the survival cell, as well as the halo device.
3. HANS Device
First implemented into Formula 1 racing in 2003, the HANS device is a shoulder collar that goes over the driver's heads and is secured under the safety belts, connected to their helmets by elastic straps.
They are designed to restrict frantic head movement during high-speed collisions. In the event of a crash, the straps attached to the helmet control the movement of the driver's head. The force generated by the head's pendulum momentum is absorbed and re-distributed by the shoulder collar.
The device has prevented innumerable amounts of whiplash, neck and head-related incidents from occurring on the circuits, similar to those suffered by pre-HANS device driver Mika Hakkinen in 1995.
4. Fire-Resistant Fuel Tanks
A driver's race ending in a massive fireball was an unfortunately common sight in races during the sport's infancy in the middle of the 20th century. Back then, fuel tanks were often made in highly-flammable aluminium cases that could spell doom for a driver's life if they burst during a collision.
Thanks to innovation, however, modern Formula 1 tanks are made of military-grade Kevlar, the same material that has saved lives by shielding humans from bullets. Thus, the tank itself is puncture-proof, and fuel leaking out of it is almost a given impossibility. Ensure you're driving a modern model with this crucial safety feature.
The Importance of Safety Equipment in F1 Vehicles
From halo devices to fireproof fuel tanks, the sport of professional high-speed auto racing has come a long way safety-wise. Drivers owe their safety to this equipment that allows them to escape crashes that almost certainly would've been fatal otherwise.
