GPWizard F1 Forum
F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: John S on August 01, 2009, 11:15:02 AM
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I just hope they don't throw the baby out with the bathwater with their recommendations, motor racing has unforseen dangers and these two incidents should not lead to massive over reaction like putting cages over the drivers. Does anyone know if the FIA 8860 helmet is mandatory in F2 or other formula?
GPupdate.net
The FIA, governing body of both the Formula One and Formula Two championships, is to prepare a report into the debris-related accidents of Henry Surtees and Felipe Massa which occurred over the course of the last 2 weeks.
Englishman Surtees, son of 1964 F1 Champion John, tragically lost his life after being hit in the head by a flying loose wheel in Brands Hatch's second F2 race on Sunday 19 July. Massa, whose helmet was struck by a metal spring which lay on the Hungaroring race track only six days later, survived his accident although worries remain over the condition of the Brazilian's left eye.
The Ferrari driver was in an induced coma until Tuesday morning in order to relieve pressure on the brain, which increased when the skull suffered a fracture. The strength of Massa's helmet has been credited for avoiding worse injuries.
The FIA's press release reads as follows:
'FIA President Max Mosley has asked the FIA Safety Commission to prepare a report on the recent debris-related accidents in the FIA Formula One World Championship and FIA Formula Two Championship.
The FIA Safety Commission, which is made up of medical and technical representatives from all areas of motor sport, will submit its report and recommendations to the World Motor Sport Council.
Preliminary findings suggest the helmet being used by Felipe Massa may have played a significant role in limiting the injuries sustained. The FIA 8860 helmet, which took eight years to develop by the FIA and FIA Institute, provides increased protection in all key impact areas.'
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I agree. They need to be careful on their reaction to these two incidents. They can force the teams or suppliers to come up with extravagant ways to protect the drivers from head injuries, or keep on, as they are, developing better and stronger helmets and cockpit walls. I would go with the latter. These injuries are rare these days, so knee jerk reactions to them could impact the drivers comfort or ability to perform in ways that aren't properly thought out.
I think both these incidents, although so close together, were complete freaks, and should be looked at separately. In the Surtees accident, the prime issue was the tire tether breaking, not the injury sustained. If anybody gets a tire in the head at speed, it is likely to be fatal, no matter what the protection. So look at the tire tethers and improve them. The Massa injury on the other hand is so unusual, that it will likely never happen again. The chances of a heavy enough piece of a car coming off (most bits are carbon fibre don't forget, and would have hit his helmet and harmlessly bounced off it), and actually finding its way towards a drivers head are miniscule. Anyone who could figure out the odds would quote you in the billions to one, I'm sure.