Sidepodcast

F1 Safety - The Accident Process

• Length: 4:18 
• Size: 4.0 MB 
• File: safety5.mp3 
• Transcript: safety5.pdf 
• Torrent: safety5.torrent 

Welcome to Sidepodcast, this is the fifth episode of our miniseries F1 Safety. We’ve looked at the safety of the cars, what circuits do to help, and the medical facilities in place. Today we’re going to put them all together and run through the accident process.

Starting at the very beginning, to have an accident, first you need drivers. To participate in an F1 weekend, you need to have an FIA superlicence, and these are granted based on good results in some of the feeder series, or perhaps another exceptional circumstance. If a driver is not well before the weekend begins, he can be replaced by the teams third driver, and substitution is acceptable up until the start of qualifying. Otherwise, the team will just have to run with one car.

Once a session is underway, then the cars will head out onto the track and do what they do. If a mild incident occurs, such as a driver running wide and having to regain the track, then the marshals will wave a single yellow flag. This is an indication to other drivers that there is something to be wary of and they need to reduce their speed. Overtaking is also prohibited under yellow flag conditions. Double waved flags are for a slightly more serious incident, as it tells approaching cars that they need to be prepared to stop if necessary. If the danger is easily removed, ie the off-road car regains the track and continues on it’s way, then green flags will be waved to show that it is all clear.

If the danger is too great, then the red flag is waved. This can either mean that an accident has left a car in a precarious position, that there is too much debris on track for conditions to be safe, or that the weather is too harzardous to continue. The red flag means the session is instantly stopped. Cars must return to the pit lane unless the race has begun, in which case they head to the main straight to wait further instructions.

Whilst we’re on the subject of flags, there are a few others to be aware of. The blue flag is waved to tell a car that it needs to move out of the way of a faster car behind it – this occurs during a race when the leader is lapping back markers. A black flag means a driver’s race is over, and this is usually because he has been driving without due care.

This often occurs if a car leaves the pitlane when the light is red. A white and black diagonal flag is a pre-cursor to the fully black flag, a sort of warning for bad behaviour. A black flag with orange circle indicates to a particular driver that his car is dangerous and needs to pit, whilst a flag of red and yellow horizontal stripes means the track surface is slippery and due caution is required. This is commonly shown after an incident leaves oil on the track.

Finally, a white flag occurs if there is a slow-moving vehicle on the track, for example one of the rescue vehicles – however this is rarely seen as the safety car or a red flag situation has usually been employed at this point.

Moving on to the safety car, then, the Mercedes-Benz will be deployed during a race if conditions are hazardous and require cars to slow down, but it is not quite severe enough to bring proceedings to a complete halt. The Safety Car will pull out from it’s position at the end of the pitlane, pick up the race leader, and guide the train of cars round the track at a controlled speed, taking whatever safe line avoids the scene of an accident. It has been known for the cars to have to navigate through the pitlane, if an accident has occurred on the main straight. Behind the safety car, there is no overtaking, and drivers are tasked with making sure their tyres stay warm for the restart. It is the Safety Car drivers responsibility to make sure speeds are low, but not so slow that tyre temperatures become dangerous themselves.

Bernd Maylander has been behind the wheel of the Merc since 2000, having progressed through the ranks of karting, Formula Ford and DTM. He is in charge of the car through the entire weekend, including the support series as well. Bernd also attends the drivers briefings to be aware of any specific safety worries for the weekend. There are two safety cars, and two mechanics are employed to make sure they are in tip top condition.

Peter Tibbetts is the co-driver in the car, and both men are in contact with Race Control and Race Director Charlie Whiting throughout the Safety Car period. The Safety Car has flashing lights on top of it, and when the track conditions are safe these will go out to indicate to the F1 drivers following behind that it is returning to the pitlane, and the racing can restart.

That is it for today’s episode of F1 Safety. We have covered most of the aspects of modern safety in Formula 1 now, so for the next couple of episodes we’ll look at how things have changed and improved.

Theme music: Headway, Safety.

F1 Safety - Medical Facilities

• Length: 4:15 
• Size: 3.9 MB 
• File: safety4.mp3 
• Transcript: safety4.pdf 
• Torrent: safety4.torrent 

Hello and welcome to F1 Safety, a mini series from Sidepodcast. We’re covering the big and small of Formula 1 safety, with helmets, clothing, cars and circuits already completed. Today we’re going to focus in on medical facilities.

We’ve already looked at a lot of the preventative measures Formula 1 instigates to keep drivers safe. However, sometimes accidents happen, and there are medical facilities and procedures at circuits to try and control any situation.

Around the circuit, there are several rapid response vechicles, including salvage cars known as S-cars, rescue cars known as R-cars, plus plenty of cranes and tractors to extricate stricken cars. There are four S-cars, who have fire rescue equipment on board, such as extinguishers and cutters. There are two R-cars which can bring one doctor and four paramedics to any point on the track within 30 seconds.

The FIA employ a chief medical delegate, currently Doctor Gary Hartstein. He is on call in the medical car, sitting at the end of the pitlane. If there is a big crash that requires medical intervention, the medical car will be employed, along with the safety car. To quickly assess an accident, every F1 car has a warning light which immediately shows the doctor how serious the crash has been.

The Medical Car actually follows the pack around on the first lap, as they vie for position in the opening corners. These are considered to be the most dangerous and crash-prone corners of the entire race, so the medical car is nearby if the worst happens. It will pull into the pitlane at the end of the first lap and hopefully the race would continue unimpeded.

If a driver requires immediate attention, then he will be taken to the medical centre at the circuit. Although these vary in size, and can be relatively small, they are as equally equipped as most hospitals emergency department. It is staffed 24 hours a day during a race weekend, with a surgeon and anaesthetist who have their own operating theatre, plus several paramedics, and resuscitation equipment if the worst should happen. Drivers will often be sent to the medical centre for checks, even if they emerge from an accident unscathed. It is up to the FIA to clear a driver to race and ensure he is physically fit to do so.

The majority of concern surrounds head injuries, as these are harder to diagnose from the outside and can seriously affect a drivers ability. The doctors also need to ensure that if the driver suffered a secondary head trauma without allowing time for a full recovery, the implications could be far worse. Several drivers have had to sit out the rest of a weekend if they crash early on, and are sometimes even forced to sit out the next race if they have a particularly bad accident.

Toyota actually have their own doctor travelling with them, Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, who turns up to every race weekend. He works with the drivers and all within the team to make sure they are fully fit. He concentrates on general wellbeing as well, for example, keeping hydrated during the hotter races. He will also decide whether any Toyota personnel need to be transferred to the medical centre, and he’ll keep an eye on their treatment. Dr Ceccarelli has also helped with other teams, for example, if there is an incident in the pitlane, however his duty is with Toyota.

There will be at least one hospital in the surrounding area that is on stand-by as the weekend progresses. There are ambulances stationed at the medical centre to make their way to the nearby hospitals, but the preferred method of transportation is helicopter. Within the circuit there is a MedEvac chopper ready to go at all times, with a doctor, paramedics and pilot on standby. There is also a spare helicopter outside the track just in case. This is a vital part of the safety procedures, as a session will not go ahead if the helicopter cannot take off or land at the hospital.

Normally, this is a weather issue, fog or extreme rain, and we saw this happen in Fuji 2007. That supremely wet weekend saw Saturday practice delayed by thirty minutes, and in the end there were only four minutes of running before it was red flagged. Race Control were not happy with the low-lying clouds.

As long as the weather holds, though, there are enough procedures in place to cover every eventuality, and first class medical treatment is available throughout an entire race weekend.

That’s it for this episode of F1 Safety. As ever, I’d love to hear your feedback about the topics we’ve covered so far in this mini series – email me Christine@sidepodcast.com. I’ll be back tomorrow with the fifth episode of F1 Safety.

Theme music: Headway, Safety.

A Different Kind of Third Driver Role

Back in Singapore, we were all a bit surprised to see that Wurz had taken to the wheel of the FIA Medical Car as the usual pilot was taken ill. It made a lot of sense to choose Wurz, as he is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, knows when to take things easy, and when to put his foot down. He seemed like an ideal fit.

It appears that the Medical Car's regular driver Jacques Tropenat either has something serious or long-lasting (rumours abound that it's an ear infection), as he is not expected to be back in 2008. This week in Japan and for the final two races, Red Bull reserve driver Sebastian Buemi has been called up to take the role.

It's not clear why Wurz is unavailable to drive this week, after he did a fine job in Singapore. The Medical Car follows the pack on the first lap of a Grand Prix, but Wurz also saw some action when Piquet crashed into the wall. Thankfully, medical assistance wasn't required, although Wurz got them to the scene in style.

Nevertheless, it's Buemi's turn, and it could turn out to be a test for the young driver. He's currently being suggested as one of Toro Rosso's 2009 drivers, and keeping a cool head for the remainder of the season may take him that one step closer to impressing the bosses.

I do wonder why Buemi was chosen, as he seems quite a young chap for such a crucial role. I'm sure he will pull it off with aplomb, but there must be more experienced drivers out there who could take the challenge? I'm also curious how they decide who gets these gigs, who makes the decision, and which driver would get the call if Mayländer went awol?

Ancillary F1 - Mercedes Support Vehicles

• Length: 3:40 
• Size: 3.5 MB 
• File: ancillary4.mp3 
• Transcript: ancillary4.pdf 
• Torrent: ancillary4.torrent 

Welcome to the Sidepodcast mini-series Ancillary F1. This series is all about the companies the sport couldn’t live without, but who get none of the glory. Today, though, we’re looking at a company who do provide a car and sometimes take part in races.

Mercedes Benz have been providing the Official Safety Car to Formula 1 since 1996, along with the Official F1 Medical Car. The Safety Cars services are called upon when weather conditions, or an accident, mean that drivers shouldn’t be running at full speed. Since 2000, Bernd Mayländer has been the man behind the wheel of the safety car, with a co-pilot by his side. The pair are in constant contact with race director Charlie Whiting, to determine when the car is needed and when it should pull aside.

Since 1978, and Ronnie Petersen’s fatal accident, the medical car has been dispatched behind the grid on the first lap of the race. The first is notoriously the most incident prone lap, so it makes sense for medical attention to be as close as possible. At the end of the first lap, the medical team pull into the pit lane, ready for any further call to action. There are four personnel manning the medical car, Dr Jacques Tropenat, Dr Gary Hartstein, and two assistants.

The two cars make their first appearance of a race weekend on the Thursday, when they test out the track, the cars, the television cameras and live timing system. Mayländer admits that he and Tropenat will often turn it into a bit of a race between themselves, not just for fun, but to make sure they’ve got what it takes to keep the speeds up. The only exception to the rule is Monaco, where Free Practice is on Thursday, so the safety car test is on Wednesday. With mainstream traffic running through the streets that day, the two can only race as fast as rush hour will let them.

In 2008, the cars were revealed as versions of top of the range Mercedes stock – an SL 63 AMG for the Safety Car and C63 AMG Estate for the Medical Car. I say versions of, because there have to be adjustments made for the cars to be suitable for Formula 1 running.

The AMG development team have Formula 1 specialists who develop, produce and service the vehicles, and make adjustments to the original models. Four cars need to be modified, two as backup. Such changes may include larger cooling ducts, weight reduction, and of course, higher top speed. The Safety Car, in particular, needs to go fast enough to prevent the Formula 1 technology behind from overheating. Both cars have video monitors, radios, and safety lights. The cars can get to 60 in about 4.5 seconds, and reach a top speed of just under 250 kilometres per hour. This compares with an F1 car that can reach over 300 on the long straights. Mayländer says that he is driving at 99% the limit of the car at all times, with that extra 1% there just in case the F1 cars behind push him. Drivers know that he’s in a slower car, but they always want to go as fast as they can.

Of course, it’s not just a question of speed. At the Japanese Grand Prix in 2007, the safety car ran for 19 laps, and no one knew when or if it would run out of fuel. Of course, with two cars available, it’s assumed one could just take the others place, but how would the transition work and how long could they keep that up for?

Given the present F1 rules, the appearance of the safety car always brings about consternation. Current regulations regarding pitting under the safety car are making some strategic decisions redundant and some would go so far as to call it a farce. The regulations are being looked at, examined, and hopefully changed at some point in the future, but there’s no doubt that the safety car will be here for years to come.

That’s it for this episode of Ancillary F1. Join me tomorrow for another instalment of this mini series, and don’t forget to leave your feedback on sidepodcast.com, or on the voicemail 0121 28 87225.

Theme music: Porter Block, Second Wind.

Wurz Drives Singapore Medical Car

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

If the medical car hadn’t been called at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, we may never have found this out, but current test driver Alex Wurz was behind the wheel. On the night before the race, the normal medical car driver was taken ill. Bernd Maylander, who has driven the safety car since 2000, recommended Wurz for the position, being a friend of the man, and knowing his vast experience. Wurz took to the track after Nelson Piquet crashed into the wall, but assistance wasn’t needed. Piquet hopped out of the car by himself, and headed back to the pitlane.

Alex Wurz was a sensible choice, having so much Formula 1 experience. He’s raced for Benetton, tested for McLaren, raced for Williams, and is now a test driver for Honda. His results may not be particularly impressive, he has started 69 Grands Prix, and only been on the podium three times, but he has been involved in Formula 1 forever and knows the situations inside out. He has also participated in the Le Mans 24 Hour race, and therefore has plenty of experience with night racing as well.

The medical car is similar to the safety car, in that it is a modified Mercedes, ready to zip to the scene of any accident. Dr Gary Hartstein, the FIA’s chief medical delegate, is always on board, and once arrived at the accident, he uses a system of lights on top of the car to indicate how serious the situation is.

There are paramedics situated at different points around the track to deliver first aid in case it is needed, and if the situation is serious, drivers can be transferred to the medical centre, and/or the MedEvac helicopter for the onward journey to a local hospital.

The medical centres are fully equipped to deal with emergencies, housing a full operating theatre and resuscitation facilities, but transportation to hospital is designed to be straightforward if necessary.

Thankfully, Formula 1 has so improved its safety in terms of the cars, that visits to the medical centre are usually just as a precaution. In recent years, we have seen less and less necessity for medical intervention, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be there. If a serious accident does occur, F1 circuits should, and currently do, have the facilities to deal with it and minimise any effects.

The Accident Process

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

Heikki Kovalainen suffered a major accident at the Spanish Grand Prix this past weekend, but luckily escaped with only a concussion on his list of injuries. The process of attending to an accident and getting medical attention swiftly to whoever needs it has been narrowed down to a fine art by the organisers of Grand Prix, so I thought it would be worthwhile to run through what steps can be taken.

On Track
When an accident occurs and the car is in a dangerous position on or near the track, the safety car is deployed. This slows the remaining drivers down and tries to ensure there will be no further accidents whilst the current one is being dealt with. In cases where the driver appears to be injured, or needs attention, the medical car will be despatched along with the safety car, and will drive around the track until it reaches the site of the accident. Fans, commentators and the pit crew will all be watching the TV screens for movement from within the car, and the universal sign is a thumbs up to let us know that everything is okay, even if the driver is in some pain.

Medical Centre
When a driver is injured or his status is unknown, he will usually be extricated from the car – there are mechanisms in place to make it easy to get the driver out – and stretchered to a nearby ambulance. The ambulance then takes the driver to the medical centre – a building usually somewhere near the paddock complex. The medical centre is equipped to administer first aid, set any broken bones and clear drivers if they are okay. Any accident above a certain force requires a driver to visit the medical centre, even if they walk away from it. Lewis Hamilton has already fallen foul of that rule this year, by returning to the pits after an accident instead of visiting the doctors.

Hospital
If further checks are needed, as in the case of Kovalainen, or if things are more serious, there is a helicopter on standby to airlift the driver to hospital. Kovalainen was taken to a nearby hospital in Barcelona for further scans, was kept overnight for observation, but it was confirmed that everything was clear, and the only injury was concussion.

Clearance to Race
Before a driver can return to the track, he needs to be cleared to race by an FIA appointed physician. This is so that he can confirm there is no chance of further or repeat injuries if another accident should occur. When Kubica was involved in a heavy crash in Canada last year, he was not allowed to race in the following event, even though he appeared to be fine. This was the FIA doctor’s decision, as a safety precaution, and Kubica was allowed to return the race after. All drivers want to return to action as soon as possible, but it’s always down to the FIA’s discretion whether they are allowed to race.