Racing Car Safety

During the 1960s, the rate of fatal and serious injury within Formula 1 was 1 in every 8 crashes. The period from 1980 to 1992 saw a further impressive decline in fatalities and serious injuries per accident, to less than 1 in 250. Throughout Formula One’s history, regulations have changed drastically, always with the aim of increasing the safety of drivers and spectators. The following table provides an overview of the most important changes in the official FIA regulations from the very beginning of F1 to the present day.

Related Articles

The full list of Formula 1 drivers who died during some racing event is here. Check my article about improvement in track safety year by year Check my article about improvement in driver safety year by year Article about general safety in Formula 1 you can find here

Safety Regulations for Formula 1 Cars

1958: Rule changes included the introduction of AvGas in place of alcohol fuels and a reduction in race length from 500 km or three hours to 300 km or two hours.

1962: Lotus introduced a revolutionary design – a car with an aluminium monocoque chassis instead of the traditional space frame design, heralded as one of the most significant technological breakthroughs.

1963-65: Pump fuel only. Automatic starter; rollbar; double braking system; rules for seatbelt anchorages, fire protection, fuel tanks, fillers, and breathers.

1968: Electrical circuit breaker; reverse gear; oil catch tank; rollbar 5 cm above driver’s helmet. FIA make recommendations on use of seat harnesses.

1969: Two extinguisher systems; parts with aerodynamic influence must be immobile, fixed to sprung parts of the car only; maximum bodywork height and width limits.

1970: Safety bladder fuel tanks.

1972: Safety foam in fuel tanks; no magnesium sheet less than 3 mm thick; 15 W red rear light; headrest; combined electrical cut-off/extinguisher external handle; FIA/spec/FT3 fuel tank. 6-point harness becomes compulsory.

1973: Crushable structure around fuel tank; no chrome plating of suspension parts.

1974: Self-sealing breakaway fuel coupling.

1976: “Safety structures” around dashboard and pedals.

1977: Pedalbox protection defined.

1978: Bulkhead behind driver and front rollbar defined.

1979: Bigger cockpit opening; 2 mirrors; improved extinguisher system.

1981: Reinforced “survival cell” introduced and extended in front of driver’s feet.

1983: McLaren and Lotus debuted cars featuring CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) chassis.

1983: Flat bottom obligatory; skirts banned; rear red light increased to 21 W.

1984: Refuelling in races banned; fuel tank in centre of car.

1985: Frontal crash test.

1988: Driver’s feet behind front wheel axis; static crash test of survival cell and fuel tank.

1990: Larger mirrors; quickly detachable steering wheel.

1991: FIA-tested seatbelts; FT5 fuel tanks; rollbar test; dynamic test of survival cell.

1992: More severe impact tests: water-filled fuel tank fitted to test strength of seat back bulkhead and 75 kg dummy fitted with maximum deceleration figure for the torso (also verifying harness anchorage strength).

1993: Headrest area increased (from 80 cm squared to 400 cm squared). Rear wing height above ground reduced (100 cm to 95 cm). Distance of front wing endplates above the flat bottom increased (25 mm to 40 mm). Complete wheel width reduced (18 to 15 inches). Fuel regulations restricted to permit only fuels of a kind used by the general public.

1994: Wheels must be made from a homogeneous metallic material. More stringent fire extinguisher regulations. Minimum thickness of the headrest 75 mm (no minimum previously). Cockpit area side load test increased (from 2000 daN to 3000 daN). Driver aids (traction control, anti-lock and power brakes, automatic gears) banned. Four-wheel steering no longer permitted. Downforce reduced: smaller front wing endplates, shorter diffuser, deflector panels restricted. 10 mm skid block under reference plane.

1995: Engine capacity reduced: 3.5 to 3.0 litres. Chassis must extend at least 30 cm in front of driver’s feet (previously 15 cm). Frontal impact test speed increased (from 11 to 12 m/s). Load in the nose cone push-off test increased (by 33%, from 3000 daN to 4000 daN). Survival cell side impact test introduced. Obligatory automatic neutral selection when the engine stops. Reduced front wing endplate heights (to between 5 cm and 25 cm above the flat bottom) and length (must not extend further back than 35 cm in front of the front wheel axis). Rear wing maximum height reduced by 10 cm.

1996: Front wing endplates minimum 10 mm thick to prevent tire damage to cars in front. Accident Data Recorder to be within the survival cell. Higher cockpit sides. 75 mm side headrests compulsory. Static load test on both sides of cockpit rim. Size of rear “winglets” reduced. Energy-absorbing structure around cockpit sides made of energy-absorbing foam.

1997: FIA Accident Data Recorder (ADR) obligatory on all cars. Energy-absorbing structure on gearbox imposed, with rear impact test. Energy absorption of steering wheel, column, and rack must be shown by impact test. Suspension must be designed to prevent contact of a front wheel with the driver’s head in an accident and to provide 120-degree articulation of the forward lower arms, front and rear, to help retain the wheels.

1998: Overall width reduced from 2 m to 1.8 m; grooved tires made obligatory, to reduce cornering speeds. Single fuel bladder mandatory. Refuelling connector must be covered. Cockpit dimensions increased; side headrests extended to the steering wheel. Mirror size increased, from 5 cm x 10 cm to 5 cm x 12 cm. Front roll structure test introduced; survival cell dimensions forward of dash increased; side impact test speed increased (nearly 100% more energy), site moved forward 200 mm.

1999: Engine oil breathers to vent into the engine air intake. A cable must tether each wheel to the chassis to prevent it from flying off or contacting the driver’s head in case of an accident. A seat which can be extracted with the driver in it in case of injury is mandatory. Use of beryllium alloys in the chassis prohibited. Frontal impact test: speed and maximum permitted average deceleration increased (from 12 to 13 m/s and 25 to 40 g). Distance of the driver’s helmet below a line between the roll hoops increased (from 50 to 70 mm). Rear and lateral headrests to be one-piece, with standard quick-release method. Asymmetric braking prohibited. The FIA Accident Data Recorder must also be in operation during private testing.

2000: Standardisation of removable seat fixing. Top of roll hoop 3 cm maximum behind cockpit. Survival cell side height regulated. Survival cell side panel outer skin laminates must be made to FIA specifications for increased penetration resistance. Static load side test in driver’s leg area increased by 20%. Rear impact structure minimum cross section regulated. Thickness of the cockpit wall defined. Introduction of a layer of Kevlar to prevent monocoque intrusion.

2001: Increase of the side impact test speed from 7 m/s to 10 m/s. Survival cell side intrusion panels and penetration test introduced. Main roll hoop must be able to withstand test load also from the rear. Obligatory Confor padding beside and above driver’s legs. Second, identical, tether and attachments for each wheel. Front of the skid block chamfered. Restriction of the number of rear wing elements. Minimum front wing height raised 50 mm. Use of beryllium alloys in the engine prohibited. Maximum of three rear wing elements stipulated, and the size of the safety cell and cockpit template increased.

2002: Raised cockpit sides to protect the driver’s head.

2004: Minimum size set for rear wing end plates and engine cover to allow more sponsor space; launch control forbidden; fully automatic gearboxes forbidden. Engine must last an entire race weekend. The rear wing regulations were also refreshed, limiting designers to just two upper elements.

2005: Reduction of diffuser size to reduce cornering speeds. Requirement that the engine last two race weekends.

2008: A revised cockpit entry template for 2008 gives greater lateral driver head protection. Each driver may use no more than eight engines during a Championship season.

2009: Smaller diffuser, narrower rear wing. Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for four consecutive events. KERS introduced.

2010: Refueling ban. Adjustable front wings.

2011: Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for five consecutive events. Adjustable rear wings (DRS). Second tether on all wheels.

2014: New revolutionary side impact system that works effectively regardless of the angle of impact. The teams agreed to implement this system for 2014 at the F1 Technical Working Group meeting on 17 May 2013.

2014: In order to ensure that the cockpit rims either side of the driver’s head are stronger, the amount of deflection during the static load tests was reduced from 20 mm to 5 mm.

2014: Only five power units may be used by each driver for the whole season, down from eight units previously. Any use of an additional complete power unit results in a pit lane start. The 2014 regulations divide the power units into six modules, and drivers are allowed to mix and match their allowance of five of each. Any changes of individual elements above the permitted five, such as turbocharger, MGU, or Energy Store, result in a 10-place grid penalty, and the replacement of a complete engine sends a car to the back of the grid.

• One gearbox for six consecutive events, an increase from five previously.

• 100 kg fuel mass limit during the race, with a maximum fuel mass flow of 100 kg/h above 10,500 rpm, down from approximately 150 kg in 2013.

• Electronic control of the rear brake circuit is permitted in order to ensure consistent braking while energy is being recovered or harvested.

• The car minimum weight limit was raised from 642 kg to 690 kg. The weight distribution was changed accordingly.

• New safety-light system for 2014’s more powerful ERS, located on the roll hoop below the upper camera pod.

2014: Resource restriction incorporated into Sporting Regulations – new limits on wind tunnel and CFD (30 hours wind-on time/CFD Teraflops per week, 80 runs per week, 60 hours occupancy per week) and no aero test day allocation.

• Double points for the final race of the season.

2016: F1 cars feature increased safety measures, with teams tasked with increasing the height of the cockpit’s side protection by 20 mm and strengthening the area to withstand a force of 50 kilonewtons (up from 15 kilonewtons the previous year).

2017: No more wet starts or restarts behind the safety car. Only standing (re)starts.

2018: Addition of the FIA-mandated “Halo” cockpit protection device. Its introduction was pushed through by the governing body on safety grounds rather than through a standard vote.

Minimum Weight Progression

2021 Cost Cap and Regulations

2021: The World Motor Sport Council ratified a financial cap of $145 million for 2021, falling to $140 million in 2022 and $135 million from 2023 onwards. While team bosses initially agreed to a limit of $175 million, the global pandemic forced teams to tighten their budgets due to the lack of racing action in early 2020. A three-year glide path was introduced to allow larger teams additional time to adjust the size and scale of their operations. The cap excludes all marketing costs, race driver fees and salaries, and the costs of the team’s three highest-paid personnel. A Cost Cap Administration was created to monitor compliance with the Financial Regulations. A more detailed explanation can be found here.

2021: Confirmation of a sliding scale for aerodynamic development: the lower a team finishes in the World Championship Constructors’ standings, the more wind tunnel time that team receives to help develop the following year’s car.

The minimum weight increased by 3 kg to 749 kg.