Monday, September 15, 2008

Did you know the safety measures in Formula 1 racing??

Drivers Clothing

All drivers wear a Nomex®-3 overall which can help them to survive for 11 seconds even in temperatures of 840 degrees Celsius? In comparison, the maximum temperature in a sauna is 100 degrees, in an apartment fire it would be up to 800 degrees and the lava in a volcanic eruption reaches between 750 and 1,000 degrees.


The safety precautions were made even more stringent just before the 2007 season The nose and rear structures now have to crumple up more softly and a six-millimetre-thick layer of carbon and Zylon protects the flanks of the safety cell. Zylon is also used for bullet-proof vests and is intended to prevent objects such as splinters from entering the cockpit.


Formula 1 Tyres

Formula One tyres are filled with nitrogen instead of air? As a result, the pressure is kept constant even under extreme loads, which improves various factors including safety because even the slightest changes in the tyre pressure of just 0.05 bar can lead to a reduction in the steering precision .

Formula One tyres are subjected to quality checks in the factory involving a total of 130 items? If a tyre displays even the slightest discrepancies, the entire series is immediately disposed of..



Head and neck Support (HANS)

The drivers have been given the additional protection of the HANS system since 2003? HANS stands for ‘Head and Neck Support’. The helmet is fastened with two elastic straps to a frame that the drivers wear over their shoulders.






Helmets

Helmets consist of three main substances: carbon fibre for rigidity, fire-resistant aramide and polyethylene, which is designed to make the helmet shell impenetrable. A modern Formula One helmet weighs only about 1,250 grams.

The visor will be made of a special clear polycarbonate, combining excellent impact protection with flame resistance and excellent visibility. Most drivers use tinted visors, the insides of which are coated with anti-fogging chemicals to prevent them misting up, particularly in wet conditions. Several transparent tear-off strips are attached to the outside. As the visor picks up dirt during the course of the race, the driver can remove these to clear his vision.

Fire Safely

For fighting fires, especially in the vicinity of the pit lane, at least five fire engines, each manned by four firemen, are on stand-by around the circuit?

Medical Centre track side


The medical centre at a Formula One race track leaves nothing to be desired when compared to a modern hospital? Equipped with all the necessary medical devices and manned at all hours by one of three shifts, each including an orthopaedic surgeon, an anaesthesiologist and six paramedics, the medical centre takes care of First Aid and trauma care for injured drivers. 5 hospitals are placed on alert during a race weekend? As a special service at the circuit, sometimes a dentist is also available


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Excellent Post. A lot of information has been provided. Thanks for enhancing my knowledge.