As part of the never-ending quest to improve safety in Formula 1, the FIA always scrutinizes the details of every major accident to better understand what went as planned to help the driver, and the areas where it might be possible to improve safety. to improve.
One of the aspects of the Guanyu Zhou incident that is likely to be closely scrutinized is what happened to the C42 ‘s roll hoop, as post-crash footage of the car shows that it had been ripped off completely.
Video and still images of Zhou’s crash indicate that the roll bar did not survive the first impact with the ground, and that it was the Halo and other surrounding safety structures that prevented the pilot’s head from hitting the tarmac after that. moment.
El accidente de Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C42 en la salida de la carrera
What the FIA wants to better understand is what forces were at play and the magnitude and number of hits the roll bar received during the crash sequences.
One factor to note is that Alfa Romeo is the only one on the F1 grid in 2022 to carry a blade-type or blade-style anti-roll structure (seen below), the concept of which has been falling out of favor over the years. the years.
Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C42, in the box
Alfa Romeo returned to the blade-style design this year after not having used it since 2019, the year after the introduction of the Halo. They did wear it in 2017 and 2018.
Prior to that, such structures had been used by Mercedes in 2010 and by both Force India and Lotus Racing in 2011.
Mercedes W01 Airbox Comparison
Comparison of Force India VJM04 sidepods
The introduction of Mercedes in 2010 prompted the FIA to intervene as it meant that, given the narrowness of the structure, it could dig into the ground on a soft surface if impacted in the wrong place.
As a consequence, all designs since then have had to have a much wider blade to comply with regulations.
In all circumstances, the choice of a blade-style structure over a traditional arch has been favored due to two factors: aerodynamic gains and weight. And it is the latter that is obviously an important factor for the teams that have struggled to reduce the volume of their cars in 2022.
In the case of the latest incident, at Silverstone, the FIA will have access to G-force sensors, telemetry data and car parts to fully understand what happened, and whether the blade-style structure behaved differently. like a more traditional roll bar would.
It is important to clarify that the design used by Alfa Romeo has passed the crash tests required by the FIA.
roll-over arch test
The requirements of the primary anti-roll structure are to support loads equivalent to 60kN (Kilonewtons) laterally, 70kN longitudinally and 105kN vertically. All teams have to pass crash tests before their cars are allowed to hit the track.
One of the problems with Zhou’s accident is that it was a scenario made up of multiple and different impacts.
The roll-over structure suffered a significant load in the vertical direction, as the car landed upside down. It then suffered a continuous longitudinal load as it dragged along the runway.
One could argue, therefore, that it did its job completely in the first case, and the nature of the accident then changed more to Halo dependency.
One aspect that could be considered for improvement is the way in which the anti-roll structures are attached to the chassis, and that is an important element to define their presence and use in a multiple accident…
El Alfa Romeo C42 de Guanyu Zhou Guanyu tras el accidente
