2022 F1 cars “twice as safe as last year”: FIA

The new 2022 F1 cars will be “twice as safe” compared to cars from last year, according to FIA technical delegate Nicholas Tombazis.

Speaking in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Tombazis said:

“The new cars will be about twice as strong on the sides as their predecessors because the cars will be stronger and heavier in 2022, they will have to pass a heavier load test.”

Exemplifying the steps taken to ensure safer cars, he said:

“In the suspension area (of the mock-up car), there is a hidden ridge under the fairing. Certain impacts could cause localized damage and damage to the driver’s feet. That is why the shape (of the suspension) was strongly regulated there so that the structure is better protected.”

Tombazis further added, saying:

“Our research showed that an extremely rigid chassis flank and a front end that absorbs more energy is the most efficient way (to improve safety). A good balance of both is needed. This is achieved by thicker chassis walls and by better protecting these structures.”

The new cars, built according to sweeping recent technical regulations, are the heaviest in F1 history, courtesy of a minimum weight increase. The increased weight is mainly due to various safety measures mandated by the FIA.

According to the Tombazis, the new measures were crafted to address various safety issues unearthed in the last few seasons. That includes strengthening the fuel tank and ensuring that cars produce less debris after a high-impact shunt. To ensure the latter objective, the FIA has also banned many smaller parts that were previously used around the crash structure, minimizing debris in the event of a crash.

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F1’s journey to becoming one of the world's safest top-tier sport

For more than five decades after the first World Championship Grand Prix was held in 1950, F1 was a highly dangerous sport and usually recorded at least one fatality per year. Driver risk was considered a part of the sport’s DNA, and therefore, the safety of the drivers wasn’t taken seriously.

Several high-profile fatalities between the late 1970s and early 1990s, including that of highly popular drivers such as Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna, however, triggered a sudden push for increased safety.

After Senna’s death, in particular, the sport saw a tremendous amount of consideration being put towards ensuring driver and spectator safety. While the number of fatalities dropped rapidly post Senna’s death, the sport continued to be somewhat dangerous.

Over the last 20 years, however, the FIA and F1 have been introducing incremental measures to improve safety. Some of these highly successful initiatives include the introduction of standardized crash structures, the Head-Neck-And-Shoulder (HANS) device, the Halo, and more. Collectively, these measures have been responsible for saving the lives of numerous drivers, after several high-impact crashes.

Yet there have been some incidents in the last few years that have slipped through the cracks and taken lives. In 2014, Jules Bianchi, one of the most promising F1 talents, lost his life at the Japanese GP, while Antoine Hubert tragically died in an F2 race in Spa in 2019.

Meanwhile, at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean miraculously escaped with his life after a high-impact crash into the barrier. Despite being relatively unhurt, Grosjean suffered third-degree burns to his hands when his car caught fire after splitting into two.

The new measures being introduced in 2022 are mostly in response to the FIA’s findings from investigations into Grosjean and Hubert’s crashes. Under the new measures, the sport hopes to avoid any future fatalities.