F1 chassis safety concerns
F1 chassis safety concerns have been raised by former Jordan Grand Prix technical director Gary Anderson, over the current trend among F1 teams to minimise chassis mass and then add ballast to optimise the racecar's weight distribution. Anderson told today's AUTOSPORT that some teams add as much as 100kg of ballast in bringing the car up to the minimum weight of 600kg
"It is difficult to see why you should allow 100kg of potential safety to be wasted," he said. "No matter what people say - and I've been to Technical Working Group meetings where people have said that ballast is no problem for safety - if you add the same weight to structures, whether in the chassis or the suspension, you'll end up with a safer car."
Anderson fears that designers have become focused on ensuring that their cars pass the FIA's stringent mandatory crash tests and have lost sight of the safety issues. "I'm frightened that people have forgotten 1994," he said. "The chassis are built to pass the tests - not necessarily for safety."
Share Or Save This Story
Red Bull went against Verstappen's set-up feedback: “Sometimes they have to feel it”
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Canadian GP sprint race and qualifying
Verstappen reignites quit threats amid doubts over 2027 F1 rule changes
Update: Hamilton avoids Canadian GP grid penalty for impeding Gasly
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments