Formula 1 and Its Most Disgraceful Moment: When Lives Meant Virtually Nothing

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: December 9, 2010

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Formula 1 is a dangerous sport. Many people have died in Formula 1 cars and despite the now 16-year gap since the fatality, it will happen again.

Safety is one of the most paramount features in Formula 1 car and track design, and it has to be like that. Finding the line between safety and excitement is virtually impossible. I would love to see the old Nurburgring Nordschleife on the calendar, but there is no way it will happen as it is far too dangerous.

As the decades have gone on cars have generally gotten faster and safety needs to be maintained, but sadly on occasions it has failed. For me there is one moment in Formula 1 which is possibly the most disgraceful moment in the sport's history. This moment happened in the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix.

The 1970's was the era when big business really began to get involved in Formula 1. Sponsorship money funded development, and as the development occurred, cars naturally became faster and faster. Safety was still very basic and the tracks had little to no basic medical facilities in case something did go wrong.

In other words cars were getting quicker and the tracks weren't changing to meet the needs of the cars. The cars themselves, despite getting faster, were still incredibly unsafe. They were one of the most dangerous cars of any of the main types of F1 car.

Each decade has seen a drop in the number of people killed driving Formula 1 cars. In the 1950's 15 people were killed, the 60's saw 12 deaths, the 1970's saw 10 drivers lose their lives, the 80's saw four die and the 90's two.

In the early days of Formula 1, death has simply been accepted. People didn't seem to value the driver’s lives.

In America things weren't any better. In Dr. Steve Olvey's book, it spoke of an occasion when a driver was taken to hospital with suspected brain injuries. The nurse told Olvey the neurologist wasn't there, and wouldn't appreciate ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

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