Mick Schumacher’s accident was one of the most spectacular episodes of the final race in Monaco. The Haas driver lost control when exiting Turn 14 and crashed into the guardrail in Turn 15. As a result of the collision, the car was divided into two parts – the gearbox with the rear axle was separated from the rest of the VF-22.
Former Formula 1 car designer Gary Anderson looked closely at photos of the car’s damage and found an explanation as to why Schumacher’s VF-22 split in two.
“The blow was hard, but Mick immediately let us know that he was well,” writes Gary Anderson. – The track was littered with debris and the incident became so dramatic as the rear of the car came off the engine. The question is why did this happen?
Think of Roman Grosjean’s accident in Bahrain in 2020, when the engine and gearbox came loose from the car, destroying the fuel tank. After that incident, the FIA asked the teams to thoroughly examine how the car could fall apart due to a strong impact, and how to ensure that the risk of fire is reduced.
The technical regulations clearly state that the gearbox must be attached to the engine with four or six bolts. Photos from the crash site show that four bolts are used to secure the gearbox to the Haas car’s Ferrari power unit.
A closer look at the photos of the accident clearly shows that the gearbox is more or less intact and no engine parts are attached. This means that at the time of impact, the mounting bolts broke or the locknuts came loose under load. In any case, this is a minor cause for concern, not only for Haas, but also for Ferrari.
Schumacher’s car in Monaco suffered other programmed damage that slowed the speed of the safety cage, dissipated the energy of the impact and reduced the G-forces affecting the driver.
Safety measures in Formula 1 have been continuously improved since the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994. We have to thank all those who carry out this work for the fact that many riders have avoided serious injuries and even death in recent years. Now there are even words that modern cars are too safe, but I don’t agree – you can’t cut corners on safety.
However, young riders need to step back and recognize that not all of their actions are foolproof. They must respect their own safety, because it is impossible to foresee all situations – in the future an accident could happen with much more serious consequences.”
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
