The FIA almost manages to get two drivers killed in two weeks

[Todd McCreary]

http://www.videosift.com/video/F1-Ma...ll-at-200-km-h

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77288

[Jim Fenton]

Your link to the video doesn't seem to work without a login & password, at least not for me.

Here it is on FOX: Massa Crash

Excuse my ignorance when it comes to F1 but don't these guys wear some sort of Hans device or head restraint?

His head seems to have traveled way to far forward to have been restrained, hence probably contributing to his injuries. Of course I'm sure getting hit in the head with a coil spring while running at 150 MPH (plus) didn't help matters much either.

[AJ14]

Both Henry Surtees and Phillipe Massa had excellent head support , but head support doesn't help at all in these situations . F1 might need to rethink the totally open cockpit idea . For that matter all open wheel cars are subject to the same potential injuries and deaths from objects striking the drivers . And now that i think about it , the windshield or plexiglass in a closed cockpit car isn't all that much safer in keeping things from striking the driver .
Might be time to rethink helmet design and materials again .

[Darren]

let

the boys race. They make millions.

[Dana Barlow]

Both Henry Surtees and Phillipe Massa had excellent head support , but head support doesn't help at all in these situations . F1 might need to rethink the totally open cockpit idea . For that matter all open wheel cars are subject to the same potential injuries and deaths from objects striking the drivers . And now that i think about it , the windshield or plexiglass in a closed cockpit car isn't all that much safer in keeping things from striking the driver .
Might be time to rethink helmet design and materials again .

Thinking is some times off,I designed a FF back in the 1970's with some rollbar cage ,bars over driver head coming together in center and then "Y" down to forword making a very strong center cockpit,built a 1in. to the foot modal of it and asked SCCA if there was any thing about it they didn't like. You'd be amazed at the BS saying it was bad design and don't do it,it would be hard to get driver out???. Hell there was lots of room to get in or out,just not strait up,and much less likely driver would of got head hert as well.
But that's what happen with ideas that don't look just like all the others.

[Joe Dirt]

Massa is expected to make a full recovery. How often do you hear that with a brain swelling, closed head injury?

[john tenney]

I don't know what you mean by full recovery. Even if he doesn't lose his left eye he will probably never have the vision to race again.

[Todd McCreary]

How often do you hear that with a brain swelling, closed head injury?

it was an "open skull fracture":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009...injury-hungary

and as John notes, the doctors are very concerned about the whole left eye area:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor...assa-eye_N.htm




let the boys race. They make millions.

what is the reason that they should be required to expose their head and neck to 150mph+ impacts? that the car cannot be designed or required by rule to offer protection from debris?

i'm not trying to pretend racing should be riskless, i'm just wondering what is so essential to F1 racing about this particular risk.