Although I watched part of it when it was aired, I decided to re-watch it and pay closer attention to what people had to say. Racing legends such as Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, John Surtees OBE and Jackie Oliver expressed their views on Formula 1 in this era.
"Something was terribly wrong. I loved the sport, but it was wrong. I prayed to God whether or not to continue." - Emerson Fittipaldi
The documentary starts in September 1961, at the famous Monza circuit in Italy. Fighting for the Championship at the time, third place being enough to secure it, German born Wolfgang von Trips parked up alongside rival Jim Clark. Mid-race, with Clark closely behind, Trips made a slight error of judgement which sent his car flying into the barriers, killing him instantly alongside 15 spectators. The race continued as usual.
Unfortunately, this era was known for its fatal crashes, and was seen as the norm. The audience would applaud a driver's luck when they survived a big crash. Narrator Denise Cook describes death as being "embedded into the DNA of the sport."
"I had a 1 out of 3 chance of living. Over one year, me and my wife counted 57 people that had died." - Sir Jackie Stewart OBE
Crashes were all too common, as they are today, but the cars back then were so fragile they would just burst into flames. Removing the steering wheel consisted of using a spanner, so in most cases the drivers were stuck. In 1966, the notorious Spa circuit in Belgium was covered in rain - monsoon conditions that would cancel a race today. Many drivers crashed out in the first lap, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE being one of them.
He explained that he was slipping in and out of consciousness, stuck in his car for 30 minutes. He was fortunate that the car hadn't broke into flames in this time. Eventually, a fellow driver, Graham Hill, stopped and helped him out. To remove the steering wheel, he had to borrow tools from the spectators' cars, and find someone to call an ambulance. When the ambulance eventually got there, it got lost en route to the hospital.
He described the whole affair as "laughable if the situation wasn't so serious." From then on, Stewart never trusted the sport. He taped a spanner to his wheel and paid for medical assistance himself. It was the start of his campaign on safety within Formula 1, in which he would get laughed at and labelled idiotic.
"People would die every week, but we weren't in a war. This was for leisure." - Sir Jackie Stewart OBE
Unfortunately, life and death was seen in a different light back then, in terms of Formula 1 at least. A driver would die, be replaced in a week, and the team would continue as normal. It was literally one funeral after the other, a constant stream of dead bodies week after week, but still considered part of the sport.
"After all that's happened, going back into the car in a fortnight's time - that's courage." "In the end, the race always goes ahead." - Jackie Oliver
The occasion that finally opened the eyes of many, was one that occurred in 1968. Hockenheim, Germany, and driving maestro Jim Clark agreed to race in the F2 category of the sport. The track was seen as miserable, one that a driver would want to get over and done with, but high speed nonetheless. It took place within a forest, much like Spa, along with limited barriers and safety features.
On the 5th lap, Clark failed to come back round the track. He had come off the track at high speed and collided with a tree, suffering a broken neck and skull fracture, killing him before he reached the hospital. His car was no longer distinguishable. If some sort of a barrier was there, perhaps he would have survived.
Clark's Lotus after the fatal crash
Many of his fellow drivers were affected by the tragedy, and further backed up Stewart's claim for improved safety within the sport. Although mandatory fire coats and improved harnesses were introduced for the drivers, Stewart still demanded safer tracks. The GPA (Grand Prix Driver's Association) refused to spend money on improving the structure of the tracks, which enraged Stewart. "What is the price of life? Not just for the drivers, but for the spectators." To address their views on the matter, the drivers boycotted Spa 1968, known as one of Formula 1's deadliest tracks.
Safety was still a big issue the following year, however. Graham Hill broke both legs in a crash at the US Grand Prix in 1969, but the nearby hospital was closed. Sidetanks were introduced, which contained high amounts of petrol fitted to the side of the car. Jackie Oliver collided with the side Jacky Ickx's car, which created a huge explosion and set both cars alight. Luckily, both drivers escaped with their lives.
Monza 1970, 9 years after the von Trips tragedy, and Jochen Rindt was killed after having second thoughts about his car. He sealed his own fate when he failed to properly fasten his harness. He was 28. He remains the only person to posthumously win the driver's championship, and it seemed that some drivers also failed to fully take the safety of the sport into consideration.
After renovation, the Dutch Grand Prix of 1973 had a track fit with safety barriers, racing kerbs and a smooth tarmac surface. It also hosted one of the most heart-wrenching Formula 1 deaths in history, and was described as "the biggest stain on F1's reputation."
A young Roger Williamson, on his début season, crashed out of the race. He was flipped upside down, and skidded ablaze along the track. Stuck inside the car, his team-mate David Purley got out of his vehicle mid race, crossed the track and ran over to blazing wreck, desperately trying to flip the car and free his friend. This act of complete compassion earned Purley the George medal for bravery, but it was the lack of support that he got from the officials and the other drivers that killed Williamson.
WARNING! Scenes of a graphic nature, footage of a fatal crash.
In 1976, a full season passed without a death in Formula One for the first time.
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