F1 2018 HALO DRIVER
The purpose of the halo-type structure was to provide a training stimulus to prepare the driver for the potential impact of the central pillar on collision avoidance during overtaking. Because the FIA has stated that they intend to mandate the halo for all FIA open-cockpit championship, 1 on-track simulations were run both with and without a ‘halo-type’ structure fitted to the cockpit to guide the driver’s neck training programme. During the assessment, the vehicle is set up in accordance with any upcoming modification to the technical specifications which might reasonably impact on the drivers’ skill performance to ensure their training programme matches the constraints of racing as closely as possible. The resulting data are used to plan each driver’s skills training programme for the upcoming racing season. Annual assessment of neck muscle function using electromyography (EMG) is a key part of our continuous driver skill training programme. Here, we report a unique case of the effect of a ‘halo-type’ structure on the activation pattern of one driver’s neck muscles during overtaking training. Moreover, the combination of head postures closer to end range of motion and high levels of neck muscle activation have been suggested to influence the pathomechanics of neck injury in high-g environments. 3–7 Because head posture is critical to steering control, 8 if the halo influences a driver’s head posture, this could lead to navigational errors and affect their ability to avoid collisions. Visually tracking and avoiding collisions with other vehicles while travelling at high speeds relies on the accurate representation of spatial structure which is perceived non-consciously via information sourced by the peripheral visual system.
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F1 2018 HALO DRIVERS
Successful overtaking requires drivers to avoid colliding with the car they are overtaking. This is because vehicles typically do not come into close proximity and compete for track position during practice. Nor do practice laps necessarily represent key tasks undertaken during racing such as overtaking. 1 However, subjective feedback does not address the effect of the halo on non-conscious processes. Verbal feedback provided by the drivers following installation laps and solo practice sessions indicates that the halo will not adversely affect visibility. 1 However, it remains unclear what effect the halo will have on the driver prior to impact. 2 An extensive retrospective analysis of accidents involving contact with the driver conducted by the FIA suggests that the halo will significantly mitigate the risk of cars and other objects in the environment from entering the cockpit. 1 The halo is designed to mitigate the risk of injury to the driver from: car-to-car contact, car-to-environment contact and external objects. In the wake of Bianchi’s death and several other serious incidents involving impacts to or near-misses with the drivers’ heads the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) introduced the halo frontal cockpit protection system for the 2018 Formula 1 season.
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While the cause of Bianchi’s accident may be debatable, the mechanism of his injury was clear a high-speed impact to his head. In 2015, the Formula 1 community was stunned by the death of Jules Bianchi following a catastrophic head injury suffered during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. The safety measures enacted largely because of the review which followed their deaths, but also due in no small part to efforts of Sid Watkins, resulted in something of a golden period in Formula 1 safety. The deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix were a watershed moment for Formula 1. This has the potential to increase compressive loading of the cervical spine and affect the ability to use visual cues during steering manoeuvres. The results suggest that the driver adopted a forward and right laterally flexed head position, presumably to clear the central pillar from his visible field. We found that the halo-type structure caused an increase in the rates of fatigue and workloads of sternocleidomastoid and cervical erector spinae. Here, we describe the effect of a halo-type structure on the neck muscle activity of one of the authors, a national-level amateur racing driver, during on-track simulations designed to practise overtaking. While extensive testing was conducted to confirm that the halo protects the driver from contact, the halo’s effect on the driver during overtaking was not tested prior to its introduction. In 2018, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile introduced the halo frontal cockpit protection system into Formula 1.