In an era when Formula 1 coverage tends to revolve around who is using what tires and how many pit stops each driver has taken, it’s easy to forget that not that long ago motor racing was a very different brute from what we see today.
No one can disagree that new safety measures have saved potentially hundreds of lives of drivers and spectators alike: on average, throughout the 1960s and 70s, two drivers a year would never return to the pit lane following a crash. But have these changes come at the cost of the excitement of this most adrenaline fuelled sports going?
Never has Formula 1 been as fiercely fought and dangerous as in the 1970s. And a new film “Rush” looks particularly at the rivalry between British playboy James Hunt and fearless Austrian Nikki Lauda.
This rivalry not only showed the lengths that these drivers would go to in order to win a race, but the dangers they faced on an almost daily basis.
Here are 10 of the most horrific accidents witnessed in the sport over four decades. Some of which had a happy ending. Some of which didn’t.
Gerhard Berger, Imola 1989
Hitting a wall at full speed, the Austrian’s car slid along the track before bursting into flames. No one could believe it when Berger emerged relatively unscathed.
Jos Verstappen, Germany 1994
Even a pit stop is dangerous in this game. While waiting for his crew to carry-out a routine re-fill, petrol spilled all over the cockpit and driver Verstappen. The fuel ignited; badly burning the driver’s face.
Rubens Barichello, Imola 1994
In a frightening sign of things to come at this doomed meeting, the Brazilian’s car flipped over and flew through the air before crashing into barriers. Barichello was lucky enough to walk free on this occasion.
Nikki Lauda, Germany 1976
Lauda was involved in one of the most frightening incidents ever seen in F1. His car left the track and hit the barriers, before bouncing back onto the track in front of another car. The collision caused his car to burst into flames and only other drivers stopping to drag him clear of the wreckage saved his life.
Gilles Villeneuve, Belgium 1982
On his final qualifying lap for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, Villeneuve’s Ferrari came into contact with Jochen Mass’s car before being launched into the air. The crash was so strong that his car was severely smashed and Villeneuve was thrown across the track still strapped to his seat. One of the most popular drivers of a generation died of a broken neck just hours later.
Roland Ratzenberger, Imola 1994
Roland Ratzenburger was a rookie in Formula 1 back in 1994. During qualifying a wing on his car failed and he careered into a wall at over 200mph. The impact was so severe the young driver broke his next and was killed.
Ayrton Senna, Imola 1994
As if things could not have been worse following the death of Roland Ratzenburger earlier in the weekend, the death of one of the most famous and popular drivers in racing history was to truly shock the world. Senna was leading the race when his car left the track and hit the concrete wall at Tamburello corner. It’s unclear whether he died at the scene or in hospital later due to massive head injuries.
Lorenzo Bandini, Monaco 1967
Lorenzo Bandini was in second place behind Denny Hulme on the 82nd lap when he lost control of his car at the Harbor chicane. The left rear wheel of his Ferrari hit the guard rail, sending it skidding across the track and into a pole, causing it to overturn and run into the straw bales at the side of the track. With Bandini trapped underneath the car, leaking fuel caught fire. Though he was pulled out of the wreckage alive he died of his injuries three days later.
Martin Donnelly, Jerez 1990
Donnelly’s car literally broke into pieces after hitting a barrier at high speed. He was thrown across the track, still strapped to his seat. But apart from two broken legs, facial injuries and a damaged kidney, the driver was spared his life; though he was never to race again.
Wolfgang Von Trips, Monza 1961
Probably the darkest day in motor racing occurred when the Ferrari driver’s car flipped over following a coming together with Jim Clark on the second lap of the Italian Grand Prix. His car smashed into the grandstand, not only killing the driver, but also 15 spectators. Amazingly the race was re-started after a brief interval.