Only A Decade Ago Kubica's Crash Would've Been Fatal. What's Changed?

At some as yet unspecified time, a full analysis of the FIA Accident Data Recorder (ADR, or "black box") will reveal exactly what happened during Robert Kubica's dramatic crash in the Canadian Grand Prix.

Although the wheels of his BMW-Sauber F1.07 were off the ground when he hit the wall, the various FIA sensors allowed the car's motion to be tracked. F1 Racing understnds that Kubica lost control of the car at 174MPH before hitting the retaining wall at almost 143MPH.

To understand what happened and, more important, what saved Kubica's life, the FIA will be reconstructing the accident using all the available data (including ADR, impact damage to car and safety equiptement, and video and circuit data). So what saved Kubica's life?

"If you asked me to list the factors that had a direct influence on Robert's accident," Said Peter Wright, president of the FIA's safety commission, "I'd say the following: the extremely strong survival cell, the restraint system, the side impact structure, the high cockpit sides with padded head rest, the new high-spec carbon helmet and the HANS device. Without any one of those, the accident would have been much worse."

Crash tests were introduced in 1985, since when the strength and impact absorption qualities of the materials used have improved dramatically. Only last Winter the FIA instituted three new developments, all of which had a bearing on the severity of Kubica's injuries - sprained ankle & concussion - in Montreal.

First, the front impact crash test was increased from 14 to 15 metres per second, which required the teams to find new methods of energy absorption in the nosecone. Second, a six-millimetre coat of Zylon was added to prevent side-impact penetration, and to stop the chassis split-lanes from breaking in the event of a high-speed frontal accident (as they did in Michael Schumacher's shunt at Silverstone in 1999). Third, the strength of wheel tethers was increased to 6kJ (kilojoules).

"The car performed exactly as we'd hoped," said the FIA's race director, Charlie Whiting. "There were no obvious weak points which was satisfying. However, we may see some changes to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve prior to next year's race"

SOURCE: F1 Racing July 2007, page 18

Just shows the measures that these guys are going to to ensure that these guys come out with as little injuries as possible. I'm still glad Kubica came out with just a sprained ankle.