#driver safety

[argentinesunshine]

has this been done yet

[margaretthotcher]

I'm having thoughts about the race again so bear with me.

As much as I'm happy happy for Max and the alpines, this is a race that legitimately just should not have happened. We had 5 crashes that caused red flags in a single quali, with so many more yellows from near misses. We had a driver spin off in the formation lap, I don't care how bad you think Lance Stroll is, a driver doesn't just spin on a Formation Lap like that unless the conditions are dangerous. We had multiple drivers saying that the track was not safe including a heartbreaking radio where Ollie Bearman tells his engineer to talk to the FIA because he is just trying not to die at this point. And that is Before Franco Colapinto crashed causing the 6th red flag in a day. Not to mention all of the unsafe stewarding decisions made like calling red flags and safety cars too late all weekend.

I don't care if it made entertaining racing to some people, drivers have died in wet races like this and I watched the race terrified we could see another. We are so so lucky that none of the crashes were worse.

I am not shocked but am incredibly disappointed that people are focusing on the swing in the championship and Lando's media comments and not the dangerous position every single driver was put in on Sunday.

I think the GPDA can argue with the FIA over swearing all they want, because lets face it, the swearing thing is stupid, but they should also be fighting for safer conditions to drive in because races like this and like Qatar last year show that the FIA currently has little regard for when track and weather conditions threaten driver safety.

[bleepbloopobsessionville]

last time we had a crash at 50 (well. 51) Gs of force it was massive news that i Still hear about and Still think about and worry about with max, because of the concussive force.

Ollie’s 50G crash does not bode well for the new regulations when it comes to safety in the corners! we keep hearing drivers complain that corners are too fast and straights are too slow, and that to corner safely they need to pump the brakes a lot harder and a lot sooner than in prior seasons.

i’m glad we have a longer break now so that Ollie will have time, but even that likely won’t be enough (hey i’m only lightly concussed and i’m not going to be completely better till at least a month has passed, Ollie’s got, what, three weeks?) to fully recover.

basically, GIMME DRIVER SAFETY🗣️🔥‼️

[twosdays-trash]

I have beef with the FIA and the lack of safety they promote within F1.

While Formula 1 is considered the safest its been ever with its current safety measures put in place for drivers, i feel its also one of the most toxic environments for drivers at the same time

Motorsports are a feeding ground for people who are willing to do whatever they can to race and win, f1 isnt the exclusive with this "i will race regardless" mentality (looking at you motoGP), and they certainly wont be the last. But i feel that due to the large amount of fans and media that comes with f1 it is very important to be more open and push for driver safety in both physical and mental aspects.

----

I mostly wanna focus on three different things in this: the medical/safety procedures in the case of an accident, the physical health of the drivers, and mental health of the drivers.

This is not an attack on the medical/safety staff that are taking care of the drivers, they are doing wonders and are amazing. I'm criticizing the FIA for the procedures that should be updated or changed in order to ensure greater safety on and off the track.

----

1 - the medical/safety procedures in the case of an accident

In the case of an accident in f1 i have noticed that it takes medical and safety Marshalls a long time to get to the scene of the accident due to the location of the safety cars. With the medical cars being exclusively located in the pitlane it takes the cars around 5 minutes, give or take, depending on length of track, location of the crash, and if its the 1st lap, to get to the accident.

In these high speed situations, especially in f1 where they dont have spotters, its incredibly dangerous to let drivers continue to drive full speed for long after a crash. Due to these long periods of time between when a flag is waved and when medical personnel can get to the scene of an accident it is also incredibly dangerous. In many situations that amount of time can greatly increase the chance of injury and heighten the probability of injuries becoming worse like physical wounds, bad concussions, and other cars hitting the already crashed out driver(s).

At one of the practice sessions durring the Indy500 in 2015 James Hinchcliffe crashed into the barrier and was pierced by the car through his leg to his abdomen and was losing a lot of blood. Due to the ability of the safety team to get there in 30 seconds, cut him out, and get him to the hospital so quickly absolutely saved his life.

Compared to an accident that occurs on the opening lap, with the safety car on track, and Marshalls around the track, it still took 2 (two) minutes for anyone to get to max after his massive crash at Silverstone 2021. That is far too long, especially with the caliber and how much speed and G force he encountered during the crash it should have been far more urgent.

Now you might say, "oh but thats only one example in indycar!" Well, Typically the time between the safety car coming to a halt in the crash and the marshals getting to the car it takes between 15-30 seconds regardless on whether its a race or practice/qualifying. 15 TO 30 SECONDS. This speed of arrival also happens regardless of the severity of a crash, seeing as a crash is a crash and is handled as such. This video details how many marshalls are in each car, what they do, and also shows how quickly they arrive at the scene of a crash.

When comparing crashes in terms similarity of the accident in f1 and indy i typically turn to the Fernando Alonso's and Simon Pagenaud's crashes where they flipped over. I find that for as similar as they are the difference in immediate medical attention is wildly different.

Both crashes are incredibly similar seeing as they both hit gravel and did multiple barrel roles the aid afterwards was very different. While Pagenaud needed assistance to be released from his car and Alonso, they both landed against the wall along with landing in similar spots on the track despite the two different locations (and years [Australia 2016 VS Mid Ohio 2023]). Yet it took medical staff half the time to reach Pagenaud compared to Alonso.

When watching these clips I've also noticed the amount of time/what flags are waved in the occurrence of these accidents. With Pagenaud it was an immediate red flag within seconds, where as Alonso was a had a yellow flag that was announced ~40 seconds after and at the same time the marshalls got to him.

------

2 - physical health of the Drivers

both sports have incredible care of their drivers and make sure to care for their drivers in the case of an accident, i feel that the mentality and enforcement of post-crash or post-injury care is far too lax in F1.

In f1 i find that the mentality is that of a toxic marriage. Sort of.

They take the "in sickness and in health" very seriously and will drive regardless of the state of their own body. And while its a good mentality to be willing to do as much as you possibly can, there is a limit to what they can and should be doing.

Starting with the OGs, Niki Lauda racing with literal fresh burn wounds and (a separate time) with broken ribs. Mark Webber racing with pins in his broken shin. Lance driving with his broken wrists and toes. Max driving with his concussion (2021). Alex driving 2 days after coming out of a coma from appendicitis. Carlos driving days after the surgery of his appendicitis. QATAR 2023 AS A WHOLE. I can go on and on about different times and instances where drivers are not healed or well enough to drive, yet no one thinks to stop them???

Yes they are adults and they can do what they want as long as their doctors clear them, but there should be a limit, right?

f1 is all about pushing the limit, but should that limit be the physical health and well being of the people driving the cars?

how many possible concussions and injuries get ignored simply because a crash was "small" and didn't set of the G-Force monitor?

And i dont know if its the difference in American VS European culture that allows the drivers in Indycar to seek out help and understand their limits, but its truly amazing seeing how well drivers take care of themselves in Indycar compared to f1.

Not to say f1 drivers dont take care of themselves, they just dont allow themselves to be injured/ill even if they are.

------

3 - driver mental health

The stress of the drivers in both series are intense, but wildly different.

Ive found that diet culture is very different in f1 and indycar. Again maybe its the difference of USA vs Europe but i think the main thing is how important weight is in f1 compared to indycar.

Every gram, ounce, and pound is critical in an f1 car and by extension: the driver. Thats why the drivers are always so thin, have lean muscles and are on super strict diets.

Ive brought this up with my family, but when looking at drivers in f1, especially the taller ones like Ocon, its incredibly disconcerting and scary to see men who should be at least 200 pounds being 140. It's even more scary when you hear George Russell talking about how he needs to lose weight in order to get faster.

Its horrifying listening to interviews where drivers talk about weight or food in terms with getting faster. The interview that makes me just absolutely distraught is the one of Nico Rosberg talking about how he "won the championship" becusse he lost weight to gain seconds. He stopped doing things he loved (biking) because he needed to lose muscle weight. He took as much weight as he could off his helmet to get lighter.

Then there is Alex Albon talking about the goal is to lose the most amount of weight possible while still being functional enough to do the race. While he isnt saying it as something bad, comparing it to a boxer losing weight before match, its still insane that they cannot eat/drink as much as they want without "costing" the team time and money.

Its almost on par with models and their diets.

Where as in Indycar many of the drivers talk about going to get burgers, getting beer, eating hearty foods and just gaining muscle without fear or worry is amazing. Not to mention it also seems more normalized for the drivers to talk out and be more open on if they are struggling or generally not having a good time.

Maybe indycar just have more available drivers at hand that they can sub in if needed, but they are also racers and want to drive as soon and as much as possible. Yet in indy they lack that mindset of complete disregard of ones self, for some reason.

------

This probably isnt gonna be the last you hear of me on this topic, but i just wanted to put this out there. If theres anything ive missed or didnt cover well enough/incorrectly lmk and ill edit it or make a new post ^^

[gejahhf]

I don't usually do this, but I am so pissed off about FIA fining a driver for prioritizing his health over an anthem ceremony.

These guys risk their lives every time they go out there. These aren't pussies complaining about little booboos...These guys want to go out there with an appendix ready to burst, or 2 weeks after abdominal surgery, after having their wrists bolted together. These are guys who get so dehydrated sometimes that it's a good thing they are virtually horizontal in their cars, because otherwise they would have no blood pressure. These are guys that go out there after shredding their car in a high G force crash litteral days before...

And, FIA, you go and fine them for going to see a doctor before a race out of concern for their health?! While they have so little regard for bodily discomfort already. Yeah, that seems like a smart move.

[kaapstadmk]

The anti-cybertruck. I love it!

Functional design at its finest (and quirkiest)

[kteague]

Just a reminder to the drivers out there - do NOT be up the ass of the car in front of you at a traffic light. If god forbid a car hits you from behind, you're going to be pushed into the car in front of you.

You should ideally leave a car length of space between you, but jesus even half a car length is better than nothing.

PSA brought to you by someone whose fking fed up with people practically kissing my bumper at every red light 😡😡

[electronicsquid]

Remember to make sure your alligator’s seat belts are secure before starting to drive

(Yale Joel, 1963)