Wednesday, 16 April 2014
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Safety in Formula 1: The Safety Car (Part Six)
By: Junaid Samodien
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| The Mercedes AMG Safety car out on track in Korea. Source: F1.com |
After a lengthy pause in the
Safety in Formula 1 series, I have decided to bring it back! This new article will
focus on the “safety car”. What is
a safety car? A Safety Car is a
car which limits the speed of the racing cars on a racetrack in the case of an
accident, obstruction or because the track is waterlogged after heavy rain.
When the safety car is sent out the immediate job is to pick up the leader.
Drivers are then not allowed to pass the safety car or one another, and the safety
car usually leads the field at a safe stipulated speed until the safety conditions
have improved and the safety car would then be brought in and racing will then
resume.
According to Formula 1
regulations, the safety car enters the circuit “whenever there is an immediate
hazard but the conditions do not require the race to be interrupted”. The use
of a safety car can make racing more competitive when team strategists
incorporate a “safety car windows”
into their initial strategies (if a driver requires a pitstop during the Grand
Prix). Drivers and cars use less fuel while running under the safety car, which
would prove to be an advantage with these new 2014 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations
where cars are required to start a Grand Prix with a maximum fuel limit of 100
kg’s.
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| The first ever Safety car leading the field at the 1973 Canadian F1 Grand Prix. Source: F1 History. |
Where was the First Safety car
used? The first use of
the safety car in Formula 1 was at the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix, but took its
place ahead of the wrong driver, which then placed the field (drivers) on a lap
down. It took approximately several hours after the Grand Prix to determine the
actual winner of the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix. The Safety Car was officially
introduced at the start of the 1993 season and the first car to be used was a Fiat Tempra at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
What were the procedures that
need to be followed by teams? Two new
procedures were instituted in the 2007 season, which were applied to the
Bahrain Grand Prix. According Formula1.com, “The
pit lane was closed immediately upon the deployment of the safety car. No car
could enter the pits for the purpose of refuelling until all cars on the track
had formed up in a line behind the safety car, they passed the pit entrance,
and the message "pit lane open"
was given. A ten second stop/go penalty (which must be taken when the race is
green again) was imposed on any driver who entered the pit lane and whose car
was refuelled before the pitlane open message is given; effectively these
drivers were penalised for choosing to remain in the race, rather than running
out of fuel. However, any car which was in the pit entry or pit lane when the
safety car was deployed would not incur a penalty.”
The procedure was replaced in the 2009 season
by software that calculates where a car is on the track and a minimum laptime
it should take the car to get to the pits. Any cars/drivers that enter the pits
before this period would be penalised. At the start of the 2010 season, once
cars were lined up behind the safety car, lapped cars were then no longer
allowed to unlap themselves before the race was restarted. This rule was
discarded in the 2012 season, with cars now allowed to unlap themselves before
the race resumes.
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| The Safety Car board held out by a Marshall at a Grand Prix. Source: F1.com |
What is the Procedure of sending out a Safety car? The safety car is on standby throughout a Grand Prix, ready to be dispatched by Race Control at a moment's notice. When the Race Director (Charlie Whiting) decides to deploy the safety car it will join the track immediately and from that point no overtaking is allowed. The safety car will then allow cars to pass it until the race leader is immediately behind it. Throughout the process, a 'Safety Car' board is also displayed to drivers as they cross the start-finish line, and the information will also be relayed over radios from the pit lane and an onboard lighting system would display a safety car warning to the driver/s .
When the Race Director orders the safety car to leave the track again, a similarly exact procedure is followed. At the start of its final lap the safety car will turn off its orange flashing lights. Competitors must still remain behind in formation, but they know that at the beginning of the next lap they will be given the go ahead to resume racing. The safety car will pull off into the pits at the end of the lap and the leading driver will then become the “safety car” as he would then control the pace until he decides to bolt off and resume racing.
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| The current Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with driver Bernd Maylander. Source: F1.com |
Who drove the Safety Car?
·
The first safety
car driver in Formula 1 was Eppie Wietzes in 1973.
·
Max Angelelli
drove the safety car at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
·
Jean Ragnotti
drove the safety car at the 1995 Monaco Grand Prix.
·
Oliver Gavin drove
the safety car during the 1997-1999 seasons.
·
Bernd Maylander is the current safety car
driver from 2000-present.
·
Marcel Fassler
briefly replaced an injured Maylander for one Grand Prix in 2001.
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| Bernd Maylander and Co-driver Peter Tibbets in the Formula 1 Safety Car. Source: Googleimages. |
Sources: Formula1.com
Formula One: History.
The
2014 FIA Sporting Regulations.
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Thursday, 13 March 2014
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Saturday, 23 November 2013
Safety in Formula 1: Cockpit Safety (Part Four)
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| Michael Schumacher being strapped into the cockpit. Source: googleimages. |
Safety in Formula 1 or any form of motorsport is of
paramount importance, and therefore my next blog will focus on ‘Cockpit Safety’. As per my previous blog
about Safety in Formula 1 ‘HANS device’
this blog will now focus on the actual safety within an F1 cockpit. At the
centre of the modern Formula 1 car is the 'monocoque' which incorporates the
driver's survival cell and cockpit, and also forms the principal component of
the car's chassis, with engine and front suspension mounted directly to it. Its
roles as structural component and safety device both require it to be as strong
as possible. According to Formula 1.com, “Like the rest of the car, most of the
monocoque is constructed from carbon fibre - up to 60 layers of it in places -
with high-density woven laminate panels covering a strong, light honeycomb
structure inside.”
The survival cell is surrounded by crash-protection
structures which absorb energy in the event of an accident and features a
roll-over hoop behind the driver’s head, made of metal or composite materials.
The survival cell’s sides are protected by a 6mm layer of carbon and Zylon, a
material used to make bullet-proof vests, to prevent objects such as carbon
fibre splinters entering the cockpit. For safety reasons, no fuel, oil or water
lines may pass through the cockpit and/or survival cell and the driver must be
able to get out within five seconds without having to remove anything except
seatbelts and steering wheel (which he must be able to refit within another
five seconds).
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| Robert Kubica's 2007 crash at the Canadian Grand Prix. Source: googleimages |
According to FIA regulations, “The width of the
cockpit must be 50 centimetres at the steering wheel and 30 centimetres at the
pedals. The temperature inside the cockpit averages 50 degrees Celsius. The
dimensions of the cockpit opening have grown over the years. Currently it must
be 850mm long, at least 350mm wide at the pedals and 450mm wide at the steering
wheel, with the rear half wider still at 520mm. The rear 375mm of the cockpit’s
side walls must rise upwards at an angle of at least 16 degrees (to reduce the
risk of injury in the event of one car flying over the top of another) and the
edge of the cockpit must be enclosed in an energy-absorbing material with a
thickness of at least 100mm.”
Did
you know … that
during his high-speed crash at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2007, Robert Kubica
was subjected to more than 28 times the acceleration of gravity? This meant
that his body effectively weighed two tons instead of 73 kilograms. Millions of
spectators expected the worst, but thanks to the strict safety precautions in
Formula One racing Kubica suffered only minor bruises.
Cockpit Safety has improved hugely over the years,
and thanks to these vast improvements Formula 1 has now become a much safer
form of motorsport. Let’s now take a look at the driver’s seat and the
compulsory equipment required within the cockpit of a modern Formula 1 racing
car. The driver’s seat is a single plastic cast, tailored to provide optimal
support. The 1999 rules have stipulated that the drivers’ seat may not be
installed as a fixed part of the car. Instead it must be possible to remove the
driver and seat as one after an accident, thus reducing the risk of spinal
damage.
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| The compulsory six point Formula 1 safety belts. Source: googleimages |
All Formula 1 cars are now required to be equipped
with a fire extinguisher system. This automatically spreads foam around the
chassis and engine area in the event of fire and can also be operated manually
by either the driver or marshals.
According to Formula 1, “An accident data recorder is also compulsory. Linked to a medical warning system, it registers important information such as speed and deceleration to tell medics how severe the impact was. In addition, there is a cockpit display with red, blue and yellow lights which informs the driver about any warning flags being waved around the circuit.” An example of this would be the huge (25G) impact Fernando Alonso faced when he had hit a kerb in the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in where the medical warning system was triggered and Alonso was then required to report to the medical centre.
According to Formula 1, “An accident data recorder is also compulsory. Linked to a medical warning system, it registers important information such as speed and deceleration to tell medics how severe the impact was. In addition, there is a cockpit display with red, blue and yellow lights which informs the driver about any warning flags being waved around the circuit.” An example of this would be the huge (25G) impact Fernando Alonso faced when he had hit a kerb in the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in where the medical warning system was triggered and Alonso was then required to report to the medical centre.
These safety mechanisms were all put in place in
order to ensure that the Formula 1 drivers are safe in all situations. I hope
you have enjoyed this blog! Feel free to leave a comment.
Source: Formula 1.com
FIA
Regulations (2005)
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