Formula One is a sport that enthralls one and many with its breathtaking speed, dramatic overtaking, and driving skills. But another aspect of the sport is that of lack of safety.
A bunch of high-tech cars, capable of going 350km/hr, running around on a slippery track caused by heavy rains that reduces the visibility too, sets up a perfect stage for a life threatening accident — similar to the one that Marussia driver Jules Bianchi suffered at Suzuka during Japanese Grand Prix on October 5.
On lap 43, Bianchi’s car rammed into the stationary vehicle tending to Sauber’s Adrian Sutil’s car, which had crashed at the same spot a lap before.
The point of view in the pit lane differs as far as the reasoning for the accident is concerned. Sebastian Vettel considered it a case of “set of unfortunate circumstances.”
Meanwhile, Felipe Massa - a driver who survived a life threatening accident himself at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009 when he was hit in the head by a flying object that came off another car and resulted in him fracturing his skull - felt the race should have been stopped five laps earlier as the conditions were unfit for driving. Former Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) president Max Mosley believed it was a “freak accident” and FIA were not to blame.
One of India’s only two F1 drivers, Karun Chandhok also believed it was the correct decision to go ahead with the race. “Yes, I think we have all raced in conditions that were much worse and they were right to run the race. Jules was just unlucky that he crashed at the wrong place at the wrong time but I personally think that the FIA did nothing wrong.”
When asked if he’s had a chance to speak to people involved in the sport about the accident, Chandhok maintained it was just bad timing and risks are part of the sport. “Yes, at the moment I think the common consensus is unfortunate timing and place that he crashed where the digger was parked. You don’t ever want to see another driver get hurt and it’s a reminder for all of us that we’re in a dangerous sport, but ultimately we’re racers and we accept the risks involved in our sport. For now, we can only pray that Jules comes out of this okay.”
Since then, there have been suggestions to have a closed cockpit to prevent head injuries. Chandhok, firstly, lauded the FIA for doing a good job of improving things but remained skeptical of the closed cockpit as it’s a radical change for the sport. “You can never make the sport completely safe but I think the FIA has done a great job of making things as safe as possible. We have to walk a fine line with this issue because if things become too safe, they lose the challenge and the appeal to the drivers and the fans.”
“I’m not 100% convinced of closed cockpit because it will fundamentally change the look of F1 and that is very important. The change of sound, which I didn’t think was a big deal, became a huge issue this year. So something like this requires more analysis before we commit to it. Either way, looking at the speed and angle at which he crashed, I’m not fully sure that a closed cockpit would have helped a great deal,” he added.
The 30-year-old currently races in the newly launched Formula E championship for Mahindra Racing. In the only race of the season so far in Beijing, he finished fifth. He was enthusiastic about the project and their chances ahead. “It’s been a good start to the season with Mahindra Racing. To qualify 4th and finish 5th in our first race was a positive start. There were a lot of things we learnt and there’s a lot of progress that we can make going forward so let’s see how the rest of the season goes. Overall, as a first event it was well received. The track looked good on TV, the fans and media were all positive so I think the organisers should be proud of what they achieved.”
With F1 exiting India due to multiple issues, there were murmurs of Formula E coming to the country and Chandhok wished for that to become a reality despite the infrastructure challenges at the moment. “It’s possible! However, one of the key elements of Formula E is racing on street circuits and therefore we have to find a suitable city in India where the roads are good and the local police and government authorities will be supportive. The Formula E series promoters are very keen to have a race in India and as an Indian driver, that would be something very special of course,” he concluded.