Tougher F1 crash tests demanded after Zhou Guanyu's Silverstone crash
Calls for tougher crash tests in the wake of Zhou’s roll-hoop failure during terrifying Silverstone accident
Zhou Guanyu emerged unscathed from a terrifying-looking accident in the opening seconds of the British Grand Prix, his Alfa Romeo flipping behind the barriers after interlocking wheels with George Russell’s Mercedes. As he skated along the run-off area upside down, the car’s roll hoop failed and the cockpit halo ended up serving as a secondary life saver.
This has brought about immediate investigations by the team and by the governing body. The Alfa, uniquely, uses a blade style of hoop rather than the conventional inverted U shape. But just like every other design on the grid, it exceeded the minimum load requirements demanded by the FIA.
Diniz’s Sauber, sans its own roll-hoop, back in the 1999 European Grand Prix
Grand Prix Photo
“With that first impact, where it landed on the first flip, the team is still doing an investigation,” Zhou said afterwards. “But I think the first hit was much harder than what they test for in the safety test. This was like a few times harder than the actual numbers we want in that. So obviously, that’s probably created the problem that came up straight away.”
This has led to calls for a yet-tougher test. GPDA chairman Alex Wurz tweeted the following in the aftermath. “Last time (as far as I remember) an F1 roll hub collapsed was with Pedro Diniz, Nürburgring ’99 (jumping over me). This led to stricter crash tests, requested by GPDA, swiftly executed/implemented by the FIA. Dear Mister President pls check your inbox, we got (more) work to do.”