Friday January 14th, 2000

By Alan Baldwin

Motor racing's world governing body is working to develop safer crash helmets in Formula One and would also like to replace controversial gravel traps.

"There is a major research programme going on at the moment," International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Max Mosley said after delivering a lecture at an international motorsport show in London on Friday.

"We intend to evolve a completely different level of crash helmet, a much safer device."

Mosley said that the FIA was analysing a range of helmets worn by drivers in crashes and was combining that with information from accident data recorders for the first time.

"How the visor works and the whole structure are being looked at very closely," he said.

Paul Stewart, a former driver and the son of former champion Jackie who now runs the Jaguar team, told Reuters that helmets had long been a concern for him.

He said that in many accidents, television showed the visors flying open after the first impact and before the cars had come to a halt.

Stewart, whose father was a pioneer campaigner for safety in Formula One and an early user of seat belts in races, said it was a danger that appeared not to have been recognised.

Open Visors

"You've got all this head protection around you and yet you've got this thing that opens up and your eyes are open to any debris or anything," he said.

Stewart said Formula One drivers liked to open their visors when coming into the pits and any solution needed to take that into consideration.

"We need to have something that's a reasonably practical device that will unlock the visor to open it up which the drivers could do with their gloves on," he said.

Gravel traps were criticised after Michael Schumacher's Ferrari sped across one and speared the tyre wall during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July.

The German broke his leg in the accident which had a major impact on the outcome of the season.

"We've come to the conclusion that we'd like something better but that's as far as it goes," said Mosley. "It's very difficult to find something that's ideal in all circumstances."

He also confirmed that he remained opposed to traction control despite the majority of teams being in favour of legalising it in Formula One.

Traction Control

"The teams want to bring it back in but we're increasingly coming to the view that would be a mistake," he said.

"If we were to allow electronics, cars would virtually drive themselves very, very quickly and we have to ask ourselves is that what we want?" he added. "And if it isn't, where do we draw the line?

"The logical place to draw the line is traction control and that is where we have drawn it at the moment."

Mosley also revealed the world body's conclusions about the spectacular flying crash suffered by Mercedes driver Peter Dumbreck at last year's Le Mans 24 Hours race.

He said the crash, in which Dumbreck's car lifted off the track and flew into trees during the race after Australian Mark Webber's Mercedes had also flipped twice in practice, was due to a combination of factors.

They were the way the cars were set up, the undulation of the track at one key point and the high kerb which the car had struck combined with an updraft from a car in front.

"I don't think we'll see that problem again," Mosley said. "But it was very alarming and we were somewhat critical of the Le Mans people for allowing the car to start."