OPINION> Matthew Marsh
Beef up safety
By Matthew Marsh (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-07-28 13:17

Over the past two weeks motor racing has provided a number of reminders that, despite huge improvements in recent decades, there is no room for complacency on the subject of safety.

Mark Webber's win at the German GP two weeks ago came despite a drive-through penalty for colliding with a competitor off the start line. Webber admitted he could not see the other car and blamed the high cockpit sides of modern F1 cars. Others suggested the mirrors on his Red Bull are positioned more to benefit aerodynamics than rearward vision.

Then on July 19th Henry Surtees died in a Formula Two race in the UK after being struck on the head by an errant wheel from a car which had crashed ahead of him. This despite F1-style cockpit sides and tethers to restrain wheels after an impact.

Just a few days later Jaime Alguersuari found himself the centre of controversy as he prepared to become the youngest driver in F1 history. Certainly the 19-year old was more than aware of the risks: the words 'Ciao Henry' on his helmet were a message to his departed friend. In response to criticism of his lack of F1 experience Jaime might well have pointed to the current F1 sporting regulations which prohibit testing during the course of the season. Introduced by the sport's administrators, the FIA, in an effort to curb spending (though in reality it has probably only diverted it to other areas) it provides teams no way to prepare new recruits (or to keep their reserve drivers match fit).

This debate was overshadowed during qualifying when Felipe Massa, travelling at some 260 kilometres per hour, was hit on the head by a one kilogram cleave spring from the rear suspension of Rubens Barrichello's car. Felipe will be thankful that carbon fibre helmets were recently made mandatory by the FIA for the sport's higher echelons.

The subject of heavy objects flying around came up again after Sunday's race. The Renault team being excluded from the next event (the European GP in late August) after their driver Fernando Alonso left the pits with a loose front wheel which eventually came off. Without the incidents of the previous week it seems unlikely Renault would have been punished so harshly. Some observers also suggest the incident provided a convenient opportunity to pay back Renault for its role as one of the ringleaders in the recent revolt against the FIA.

The desire to reduce costs has led to a ban from 2010 on mid-race refuelling and the pre-heating of tyres (and thus the transportation of the heavy apparatus required). This, though, will lead to cars weighing some 70kgs (about 15-percent) more than today's cars starting a race on tyres which might not properly be at working temperature. This is just another example of the challenge the sport faces: to ensure the drive to improve safety is not compromised by political squabbling or the pursuit of other worthy objectives.