Fernando Alonso’s accident at the season-opening 2016 Australian Grand Prix was a significant moment in the history of not only Formula 1 but motor sport in general, and not just because the Spanish driver walked away from a huge 300kph crash.
The fact he did so is remarkable in itself but the analysis of the accident is also a first in the sport. It was the first time that all of the new safety measurement systems have been brought together to provide a forensic picture of what happens to the driver and the car during a major accident.
A high-speed camera that is always pointing at the driver was installed in every car from the first race of this season. This now works in conjunction with a tiny accelerometer in a driver’s earpiece that measures the forces on his head. They in turn work with an Accident Data Recorder – essentially the ‘black box’ of F1 cars – which measures all of the external forces.
Combined with the multiple camera angles from the cameras around the track, safety researchers have more information than ever before to determine what exactly happens at every millisecond of a crash. This is essential for deciding on future areas of safety development and research.
In the case of Alonso’s accident the data gathered is remarkable in both its detail and conclusions.
The McLaren driver crashed into the back of Esteban Gutiérrez’s Haas Formula One car at the end of the DRS zone between Turns 2 and 3 of the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne.
He was travelling at 313kph as he began his overtaking manoeuvre and had slowed marginally to 305kph at the point of impact, when his front-right wheel made contact with the rear-left wheel of Gutiérrez’s car.
After the initial impact, Alonso’s front-right suspension was destroyed, and the car veered left towards the outside wall. The wall collision was made with the front left corner of the car, resulting in a peak lateral deceleration of 45G, with high acceleration levels also recorded by the ear accelerometers, demonstrating the forces on the driver’s head.
The High-Speed Camera, which took video frames of the driver every one hundredth of a second, showed that Alonso’s helmet made contact with the left inside face of the headrest twice during the impact, corresponding with two peaks seen on the ear accelerometer data.
The car rebounded and proceeded to slide along the circuit towards the gravel trap. With front-left, front-right and rear-left suspensions destroyed, the car was heavily leaning laterally on its left side as it travelled over the grass. This left side dug into the gravel, which rolled the car and propelled it into the air, recording a lateral deceleration of 46G.
This means that the Spaniard experienced a force of 46-times his own, about 3500 kg, during the shunt. Few have survived forces beyond 50G without serious injury, and anything above 60-70 kg is often fatal.
The car travelled in the air, rotating approximately 540 degrees (1.5 times) and was airborne for 0.9 seconds. On landing it made its initial contact with the ground on its rear impact absorbing structure, experiencing a peak longitudinal acceleration of 20G.
The car then rotated about its rear before falling and eventually coming to a stop on the left side of its engine cover, just before the tyre barrier. Alonso walked away.
The fact that he was relatively unharmed – suffering only minor injuries which forced him to miss the next race – is testament to the safety elements in the car that have been developed over the last 20 years.
A report into the accident by the Global Institute for Motor Sport Safety, the research partner of the FIA Institute, concluded: “From an initial 305kph impact, the car of Alonso was able to manage three high-G decelerations and an airborne phase without major injury to the driver, primarily due to a range of safety systems on the car performing well for their designed purpose.”
Alonso himself said afterwards, “It was a scary moment and I’m happy that I can stand here. I am very grateful and would like to express my gratitude to the FIA for the safety standards. It’s the only reason I’m still alive.”
He added, “I feel fine physically but everything hurts a little because you move around so much at those speeds. The knee is what bothers me most as it hit the steering column but I feel very lucky.”
Alonso missed the Bahrain Grand Prix after failing a medical and returned to action at the Chinese Grand Prix a month after the accident took place.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
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