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Precisely. But it's about making sure F1 learns from freak accidents.

Drivers now have stronger visor strips higher up on the visor. After Henry Surtees was killed, wheel tethers were strengthened.

I don't know what can be learnt from this, because as of yet we don't know the full details of what happened.

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

Terrible. I felt shocked and sick reading about her condition.

From a personal point of view, things like this make me realise that everyone should make the most out of each day.

Could this have an influence on the discussion on how F1 could start using a closed cockpits?

Possibly, but i'm not seeing it happen.

Some brazilian journalists are using this incident to criticise the rules that limit tests during the season. What I consider pointless.

They do have a bit of a point, that was one of the things I thought of yesterday, had they been allowed to test at a proper circuit, it's very doubtful that the accident would have happened like it did.

Could have used a drag strip surely?

But again, it is about cost saving rather than hiring a proper drag strip like Santa Pod or a circuit like Hockenheim or Bahrain with their own drag strip.

Agreed. Straight line testing is a new phenomenon for F1, only been around after real testing has banned. Is this really worth it FIA?

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"Indy doesn't give you a second chance. You have to earn it."

Well I doubt it'd make a difference unless it was a proper proper circuit. A dragstrip they'd still have her drive the car round to the truck.

You say straight-line testing is a new phenomenon, but isn't part of the reason for the NSL in the UK because people were testing their racing cars up and down the A1.

You could be more careful with the positioning of the truck, but sadly if the rumour is about anti-stall kicking in, which seems plausible, it looks more like a driver training issue.

I just caught up on this one...most serious F1 accident in a while...that just sucks

this must be just the worst one after the accidents of Ratzenberger and Senna.
Massa didn't have career-ending injuries and I cannot remember another one.
It is very unlikely that such situations happen, but similar freak accident (like Massa's) can still happen.
It is time to think about closed cockpits.

Finally, my thoughts are with Maria and her family.

Weren't they doing straght line runway test's even when testing was allowed?

Pretty sure I recall hearing about teams doing them as far back as 2002 for the sort of high speed aero test's only possible on very long straghts.


Also is there anything in the regulations preventing them from doing these test's at drag strips or even ovals? Maybe even circuits like Paul Ricard that have really long straghts.

I think the term used is "testing at licensed circuits is prohibited", which is the reason they goto airfields and the like.

That`s so terribel. I`m shocked and very sad. My thoughts are with Maria and her family.

The Marussia factory is about a mile away from my flat here - literally a 2-minute drive by car. As futile a gesture as it might be, I think I'll drop a card in for her tomorrow so they can forward it on. They've asked that any such things are sent to their HQ anyway, so...

That's what I was going on about yesterday. Whether it was her error or not, it's highly unlikely something could've hit the helmet in a normal pit-lane.

Testing is banned but cars are allowed to go up and down an airfield with makeshift installations. Is it really necessary?

If anything Stoddart is more qualified to drive an F1 car than Villota.

Edit, meant Wolff sorry, keep forgetting she got hitched.

Well going up and down the straight like that doesn't need a lot of experience. They were getting data from the car, not the driver.

The issue here is the loader and why it was left in such a position.

Wolff has proven she can drive cars without being a danger, but she is at the back of a DTM grid, she isn't good enough for F1 either. She didn't get the job because she's a woman, she got it because who she is married to.

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