Mansell: It’s amazing how Formula 1 has changed

1992 world champion Nigel Mansell continues to follow Formula 1. On the one hand he thinks the races have become too “sterile”, on the other hand he feels relieved when the driver leaves the car without injury after a serious accident …

Nigel Mansell: “After a series of serious incidents, all circuits in the world have been brought to the same level, all dangerous sections have been removed. Now a lot of fast corners have huge departure zones where you can make a mistake, go off the track and come back without any problems. In our day, we paid for such departures with a bang, but in 1994, a month after Imola, Formula 1 changed forever.

Today, racers feel like supermen, they get accidents at the wheel of modern cars, but come out of the water dry. Previously, after such flights, riders left the sport because of injuries – a broken leg, a broken arm, a broken spine. They simply couldn’t physically drive a Formula 1 car.

Today, after the race, the riders leave the cockpit looking like they just left the barber shop. There is no sweat or other signs of fatigue. Modern cars have power steering, but we had to train our hands and catch the car in corners where if you lacked physical strength you would fly off the track and have an accident. Now the Formula 1 car can be controlled with one finger.

Today, racers have come to the sport who previously would not have had enough physical strength. Then you had to be strong, otherwise there might just not be enough air at a distance, especially with cars with a ground effect. Now the engineers ensure the optimum balance. It’s amazing how Formula 1 has changed since then.”