The Science of Racing

By: Charlotte Shum

From 1950 to 1960, 30 Formula One—a car racing sport that has been associated with speed and danger for decades—drivers were killed behind the wheel (Formula One Dictionary, n.d.). The common link between these deaths was that they were all caused by collisions; drivers were naturally at a high risk of injury or death if they were involved in one; they could be very damaging due to lacking emergency reinforcements (on-site crew) and vehicle safety features. People didn’t know any better in the old days; safety measures were only beginning to be introduced 10 years after the sport’s creation (Toma, 2016). Over the years, with the development of safety devices such as crumple zones, the risks of injury and death have been significantly reduced; in the last 27 years, there have only been 4 associated deaths (Formula One Dictionary, n.d.). Crumple zones have been and will likely continue to be an essential safety feature in Formula One racing. This essay will explore the impact of the science of crumple zones and how it provides a solution to participant safety concerns in the sport of Formula One.

Crumple zones are sections of a vehicle designed specifically to crush or fall apart in the event of a collision. These zones dissipate the crash's kinetic energy through the car instead of the occupants. In these cases, kinetic energy is lost, not conserved. This energy is lost from being used to deform the car and is also being transformed into other forms, such as sound (the sound of the collision) and thermal energy, as with inelastic collisions. The force is spent on deforming the vehicle instead of being transmitted to the car’s occupants and injuring them (Grabianowski, 2021; Opong, 2022).  

Crumple zones don't only prevent force from being transmitted to occupants, however. During a crash, the crumple zones create a buffer zone around the car perimeter and protect sections that are more rigid and resistant to deformation. If these sections are hit, they will decelerate the car rapidly, resulting in a greater force inflicted and a greater risk of injury towards occupants (Grabianowski, 2021). These crumple zones, made of less rigid material, take the initial impact and deform, extending the time of the collision so that deceleration is spread out over time and the force is distributed more evenly (maximum force is smaller). 

This is very beneficial as Formula One vehicle collisions are much more dangerous than typical road incidents. Formula One cars are designed to move incredibly fast, up to almost 400 km/h (Duxbury & Holding, 2022). According to Newton’s second law (F = ma), speed/velocity is directly proportional to the force. In other words, a greater speed of an object means greater force applied. Of course, acceleration is not the only factor affecting the size of a force; the equation for force is mass multiplied by acceleration, after all. But although Formula One cars are extremely lightweight and made out of carbon fibre material, the high acceleration of the vehicles more than makes up for this. 

Moving on, crumple zones have influenced more than just the lives of Formula One drivers. On a more wider scale, the mass adoption of crumple zones has led to a more proactive approach to road safety. A study (Broughton et al., 2010) published in the Journal of Safety Research found the adoption of safety features led to a change in societal attitudes towards road safety. Another study (Bleeker et al., 2014) in the Journal of Health Psychology finds that increased emphasis on safety in design creates greater awareness of dangers and appreciation for the importance of taking precautions to prevent accidents. This shift in perception is reflected in the focus of public awareness campaigns; governments (UK’s THINK! campaign) and other organisations (WHO’s video PSAs) are continuing to use advertisements and public service announcements to promote safe driving practices and more.

On the other hand, crumple zones have had negative implications on economics. The implementation of crumple zones—which are easily extensively damaged—has created increased repair costs due to the higher degree of structural integrity of cars with crumple zones compared to cars without (Ainbinder, 2020). Not to mention, the repair costs of Formula One cars in general, are much higher than the repair costs of regular road cars due to the specialised lightweight and high-speed engine and the specific materials and parts required. Damage repair costs of Formula One cars generally range between $100,000 - $500,000 USD and more; for instance, Carlos Sainz’s F1-75 cost $500k to repair after he lost his rear (bumper and crumple area) during a race, a dramatic loss to his team and the other team involved (estimated $750k in damage) in the incident, with their infamously limited budgets (Scuderia Fans, 2022). 

In conclusion, the development of crumple zones has contributed significantly to the advancement of safety design. While crumple zones have increased societal awareness and attitude towards road safety beyond in the Formula One community, it has also created unfathomable repair costs for Formula One teams with their intricate design and difficult repair process. However, overall, the benefits of the solution massively outweigh the disadvantageous implications it has created. The redistribution of force that crumple zones create is too integral to car occupant safety for the safety feature to be removed without a drastic increase in roadside injuries and deaths. Besides, outside of the Formula One racing community, crumple zone/car frame repair costs are much, much lower and somewhat affordable, generally ranging around $1000 and going up to $10,000 USD (Protec Collsion, 2021).

Rationale: This piece was part of a project of mine aimed towards understanding road safety.