“Twenty-five drivers start every season in Formula 1, and each year, two of us die.”. The opening line of the 2013 movie, Rush, rang true for motorsports throughout its history.
Today, NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1 are much safer. Motorsports paid a high price to get where we are today. NASCAR’s top series recognizes 128 deaths of both drivers and spectators, F1 recognizes 52 driver deaths, and IndyCar recognizes 150 deaths of drivers, mechanics, and spectators.
Fans at the track are safer than they’ve ever been because of the 1955 Le Mans Disaster. The incident resulted in 84 deaths and over 120 injuries.
A Mercedes driven by Pierre Levegh rear-ended a swerving Austin-Healey driven by Lance Macklin. The resulting collision launched Levegh’s car over the dirt barrier into the crowd.
Most fan safety features we see today directly result from this incident. Track layouts, concrete walls, catch fences, tire walls, etc, all have their start from the worst day in motorsports.
Safety nets were added to NASCAR after a violent Richard Petty crash at Darlington. Before 1970, NASCAR didn’t have glass windows in its cars. Petty’s car hit the wall and rolled. His shoulder and arm were ejected from the vehicle, causing significant damage to both.
Five crashes from 1987 and 1994 shaped modern NASCAR. Bobby Allison’s car tearing down the fence at Talladega in 1987 introduced the restrictor plate to slow speeds. Rusty Wallace’s flips at both Daytona and Talladega in 1993 introduced larger spoilers on the rear of the car. Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr’s fatal crashes at Daytona in 1994 resulted in NASCAR moving to spec shocks and springs. While we still see violent crashes today, we usually don’t see crashes of this caliber due to the safety measures in place.
The design of the modern Formula 1 car and tracks can be traced back to Imola in 1994. Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger lost their lives. While Rubens Barrichello barely escaped with his life.
Ratzenberger’s damaged front wing came apart and lodged under the car, causing it to sail through the air. He impacted the wall at 195.7 MPH. Ratzenberger suffered three separate fatal injuries, including blunt force trauma from part of the car penetrating the survival cell.
Ayrton Senna ran wide in a turn, striking an unprotected barrier at 140 MPH. Some estimates have the strike at 191 MPH. Pieces of both the steering column and suspension entered the car’s cockpit. Like Ratzenberger, Senna suffered three fatal injuries.
Rubens Barrichello was saved by Sid Watkins, who unblocked his airway after being knocked unconscious in a crash. The impact caused Barrichello to swallow his tongue.
Imola’s darkest day resulted in a long list of improvements. They include tire tethers, widening of distance between track and barriers, raising the sides of F1 cars to better protect drivers, a reduction in power to lower speeds, the addition of chicanes to fast tracks to keep speeds lower, and the reforming of the Grand Prix Driver’s Association to improve safety.
In 2000 and 2001, NASCAR lost three drivers to the same injury. Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., and Dale Earnhardt were all lost to a basilar skull fracture. Many fans aren’t aware that the NASCAR series lost six drivers in 17 months to the same injury. In response, the HANS device was made mandatory. Safer barriers were also installed at all oval tracks. Cars were redesigned for safety. The HANS device is probably the greatest piece of safety equipment in motorsports. Since its mandatory use was implemented, NASCAR has had zero deaths.
Heavy rainfall began at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2014 at dusk. A Sauber, driven by Adrian Sutil, crashed in a run-off area. A front loader was dispatched to retrieve the car. Jules Bianchi lost control of his Marussia, crashing into the back of the front loader. His car slid under the machinery, hitting it with enough force to knock the front loader forward. Bianchi suffered a traumatic brain injury. He would succumb to his injuries nine months later.
His death resulted in many safety changes to F1. Safety cars for unsafe conditions were added, versus just using a double yellow flag. Race starts at least four hours before dusk was added. The biggest takeaway is that this incident led to the halo system. While the halo wouldn’t have saved Bianchi, its implementation has saved at least three drivers in recent memory. Lewis Hamilton, Romain Grosjean, and Zhou Guanyu all owe their lives to the halo.
Motorsports are dangerous, but the driver deaths of the past are over. It’s been over 10 years since the last death in Formula One, a far cry from the two a season they used to get. NASCAR hasn’t had a death in over 20 years and is at the forefront of safety. In three months, IndyCar’s last death will be 10 years ago. Safety rulebooks are written in blood, but motorsports has and will continue to overcome the dark days.
Image Sourced via F1 Exhibition X
