Hungarian Grand Prix

Formula 1: from past tragedies to life-saving innovations

The last Grand Prix at Spa confirmed the trend of a Formula 1 that prefers safety to adrenaline. Over the last thirty years, there has been a clear path towards making racing safer, reducing the risk of fatal accidents as much as possible. Let us look back at the introduction of the five main elements that protect drivers

1 August 2025

7' min read

The Belgium Grand Prix showed once again how the priority of the Fia and the entire Formula 1 is the safety of the drivers and people working in the Circus. Although the whole of motorsport was born out of the adrenaline rush to push the limits, the evolution of the sporting world as a system of emotions and positive values has seen the need to avoid tragedies on live TV prevail. Thus, the rain that fell in abundance on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit could have been the spark for a crazy and fun, but also dangerous race: on a circuit that saw Anthoine Hubert lose his life in 2019, driving an F2, the preparatory championship to F1, Race Direction preferred to postpone the start and wait for the storm to pass.

After a wait of an hour and a half, the start took place on a track that was more damp than wet, and not from a standstill: so they all paraded around the first corner (La Source) and took Eau Rouge and Radillon without too much trouble, apart from Lando Norris, overtaken by Oscar Piastri with a perfect manoeuvre. The race thus developed in a very linear manner, with the few noteworthy overtaking moves made by Lewis Hamilton, author of a fine comeback when the track was still slippery. However, his Ferrari, configured for a wet race, then saw the pace fall behind Alex Albon once the track dried out. The performance of Charles Leclerc, on the podium and author of a great head-to-head with Verstappen, should be highlighted.

Ferrari was the author of a very convincing test in terms of strategy and performance. It thus consolidates its second position in the Constructors' Championship, pulling away from Mercedes and Red Bull. Heading into the Hungaroring, which, in the words of Fred Vasseur, is more congenial to the SF-25, one can hope for another good result for the Cavallino. However, to quote Leclerc, 'Ferrari has to be careful with positivity and not create the wrong expectations'. In short, one GP at a time this season, with thoughts already turned to 2026.

TOP 10 PILOTI E CLASSIFICA SCUDERIE

Fatal accidents in Formula 1: a comparison of decades

The road to safety in Formula One has passed through many tragedies. In fact, many drivers have died while driving a single-seater, whether during championship races or test drives. The first death in a Formula One single-seater, albeit not in a race, occurred in 1952, when British test driver Cameron Earl perished following an accident while testing a single-seater in Warwickshire. The following year, American Chet Miller became the first driver to lose his life during a race weekend, namely during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, which was part of the world calendar at the time.

In the following years, other names tragically entered the collective motorsport memory. Among them, the most remembered are Gilles Villeneuve at the wheel of a Ferrari during the qualifying of the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at the Zolder circuit and, of course, Ayrton Senna, the three-time world champion Brazilian driver who died during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in 1994 at the wheel of a Williams.

The only fatal accident in the last 30 years was that of Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Jules was the mentor of Charles Leclerc, who on the occasion of the 10th anniversary wrote to remember him: 'The first memories I have of Jules are not related to the Jules driver, but rather the Jules person, as I experienced him much more as a human being than a driver. [ ] Jules was a really nice person. He was a lot of fun and had his crazy moments when you got to know him well. He was always happy to help and also very happy to have fun'.

In the last ten years, Formula One has not recorded any deaths related to accidents on the track. However, there has been no lack of extreme episodes that, in previous eras, would have had quite different outcomes. Emblematic is the accident with Grosjean's Haas at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2020, which hit the wall immediately after the start with an impact so violent that it split the car in two and caused a fire. According to the FIA accident report, the driver managed to get out of the car after about 28 seconds, suffering serious injuries to his hands but saving himself thanks to the proper functioning of the safety devices.

As can be seen from the table below, the number of fatal Formula 1 single-seater driving accidents has gradually decreased, from 13 fatalities in the 1950s to zero in the last ten years. This is an indication that the tragedies of the past teach us a lesson and Formula 1 has mobilised to introduce measures to safeguard the lives of the championship's protagonists.

GLI INCIDENTI MORTALI

Leather helmets and trousers: Formula 1 where safety was all but absent

In the early days of Formula 1, safety was a marginal issue. A risk culture prevailed, in which danger was considered an inevitable part of competition, and the circuits of the time were far from today's safety standards. In the 1950s, for example, the protective barriers were made of simple hay bales, a material that was ineffective at cushioning impacts and highly flammable. Tragic proof of their inadequacy occurred in 1967 during the Monaco Grand Prix, when Ferrari driver Lorenzo Bandini lost his life in an accident in which his car caught fire after impacting against the hay barriers.

On the side of the drivers' clothing, the differences from today are just as marked. In the 1950s, drivers wore simple leather helmets and gloves, and clothing without any fireproof protection. One only has to think of the typical racing outfit of the Argentinean driver of the early days of Formula 1 Juan Manuel Fangio: Cotton polo shirt, work jacket and trousers. Flame-retardant suits were not yet provided for, and safety belts were not part of the standard equipment, only being introduced on a voluntary basis in the late 1960s. On the track, the absence of safety cars and safety personnel was the norm. In the event of an accident, drivers often had to rely only on luck and the intervention of colleagues or spectators, at a time when any race could turn into a tragedy. Let us look at the five most important safety steps.

The five key moments that made Formula 1 safe

1. Pilots' clothing

In 1963, the FIA introduced the obligation to wear fire suits to put an end to the large number of cases in which drivers suffered burns during races, ending the era of casual driver clothing for racing in Formula One. Drivers thus began to use fireproof suits made of Nomex, a material that became well-known in motorsport following the encounter between astronaut Pete Conrad and NASCAR driver Bill Simpson. However, Niki Lauda's serious accident in 1976, in which the driver suffered severe burns, proved that the new suit was still not enough to protect drivers. With the passage of time, the evolution of fabrics and the improvement of technology led to more breathable fireproof suits that were resistant up to 800 degrees and weighed less than a kilogram per suit. It should be noted that pilots are obliged to wear underwear made of the same material as the suits.

2. Monocoque

Another key element is the carbon-fibre survival cell. The 'monocoque' was first introduced by McLaren in 1981 with the MP4/1 driven by John Watson and Andrea de Cesaris. The driver sits in the monocoque made of 6mm carbon fibre layered with Kevlar, a heat-resistant synthetic fibre, which becomes an integral part of the chassis as the engine and suspension are connected to it. It is also equipped with a system that allows the driver to spray fireproof foam around the cockpit and engine. It should be noted that the monocoque was invented for aerodynamic reasons.

3. Security barriers

From the hay bales of the 1950s, today the FIA uses advanced systems to study which type of barrier to apply at which point on the track according to different characteristics. Since the late 1960s Armco barriers have been introduced, corrugated steel devices that have been progressively improved over the years. Today there are several types of barriers used in Formula 1, but mainly TecPro and SAFER barriers. TecPro barriers consist of plastic blocks filled with high-density foam that absorb and disperse impact energy much more effectively than metal ones. SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers, initially adopted in IndyCar, combine steel and foam to reduce impact and better distribute the force of the collision, being particularly useful on circuits with high-speed corners. Tyre barriers, on the other hand, are still used in secondary areas or in combination with other protection systems; more compact, but less effective than TecPro, they are mainly used to keep costs down on temporary circuits or in areas less exposed to severe impacts.

4. HANS device

The HANS device is a system for supporting the head and neck of drivers. It was devised by brothers-in-law Dr. Robert Hubbard, a biomechanical engineer, and Jim Downing, a former American IMSA driver, after they realised that many motorsport deaths were caused by skull base fractures, and that no one was working to prevent them. Their research began in 1981 and fourteen years later HANS entered Formula 1. However, it was only in 2003 that the FIA made it mandatory.

Made of carbon fibre, the HANS is worn as a collar that wraps around the back of the neck, with two arms resting on the chest. It is secured with seat belts and connected to the helmet so that, in the event of an accident, the head does not move forward abruptly, thus reducing the risk of neck injuries.

5. Halo.

The Halo, a system based on the Mercedes team design, was introduced by the FIA in 2018 with the function of protecting the drivers' heads. It consists of a titanium ring structure mounted above the cockpit, with a central pillar in front of the driver and two arms extending along the sides of the cockpit, attached to the chassis of the car. The system can withstand forces of up to 116kN, the equivalent of the weight of a London double-decker bus, as told by James Allison of Mercedes. Among the companies that have approved the Halo's production is the Italian company V System in Fiorano, part of the Veca group, which makes exhaust systems, manifolds, structural parts and other valuable components for the automotive and aerospace industries. In just a few years, Halo has already proved to be of vital importance.

The Hungarian Grand Prix

The last race of the season before the summer break will take place in Mogyoród, just outside Budapest. The Hungarian Grand Prix lends itself to surprises, such as the victory of Esteban Ocon in 2021, driving for Alpine. However, compulsory favourite remains McLaren, already winner of twelve editions on the Hungarian circuit, including last year's with Oscar Piastri. The weekend returns to standard format, with qualifying at 4pm on Saturday and the Sunday race at 3pm. Then there will be a four-week break to allow for the summer factory closures and the engines will be switched on again for the Dutch GP (29-31 August).