FIA give decision on Hans device

[Cobra]

The fia have made a decision to stick to their original ruling regarding the Hans device.(todays press)
The decision being that the wearing of it is compulsory.
This decision is madness, it is a great device if the driver can adapt to it and finds it comfortable.
But, if a driver finds it uncomfortable he is going to be hindered and at the very least distracted and a distraction at 180 mph, well...
They say (the FIA that is) that the drivers have known about the Hans device since 2001 and have had plenty of time to adjust.
Surely then if they have had that amount of time and it still does not suit some drivers then it should not be forced down (or round) their necks.
Let me say that because of the Hans device Justin Wilson was effectively Paralyzed at the weekend and if he had of been hurt because of a decision that was forced upon him then the same people who are stamping this rule onto F1 now would have been running for cover.
So why wont they reconsider before this stupid rule does seriously hurt a driver?!!!

[Maxmil]

I think you are right Cobra. The two incidents this year in F1 should be enough to give anyone pause.

[Damon]

I think it should be optional this year until they coem up with a full proof solution. The fact is that it's putting the drivers in danger at the moment and that can't be right.

[Logrence]

If the device doesn't work, it doesn't work. Whether they've known about it for 2 years or not is irrelevant.

Can anyone clarify as to why Barrichello was given dispensation?

[chezza]

Yeah i wouldn't mind knowning how Barrichello managed to get out of wearing it. I know it was for medical reasond but can anybody shed any light onto this??

They have to seriously think about this device...what if the next person looses the feeling in their legs?

[Cobra]

from Logrence
Can anyone clarify as to why Barrichello was given dispensation?


Yeah I think that I can help you there He has a very expensive doctor!!!

I think that it was the cause of him crashing in the previous race and the part of the collarbone that it sits on was very sore from that time

[golem]

I dunno what device it was, but there was a significantly smaller looking device trialled by some driver in V8 supercars. It's effectively the same thing as a Hans but smaller. Maybe less effective, maybe not but it looked like it would also work well enough.

I say it's downright stupid because some of these drivers only got seats THIS YEAR, and it doesn't look like it will fit all drivers anyhow.

[Hugh Jarce]

With the amount they spend on individual monocoques etc. and with plenty of ergonomists around I can't believe they can't take the best bits of the principle and mould a device to perfectly fit each driver.

I'd say hold on, until this level of adaption can be done.

[Logrence]

Couldn't they do something that went under the arms? I don't know - maybe they could use a different anchoring point...

[Lee Janotta]

Max Mosley doesn't backtrack, because he'd be admitting he was wrong. Too big an ego to ever do that...

[903cc]

Has HANS been such a problem in other series? Is it the design of the F1 cockpit the primary cause. If so changes should be made to the cockpit to accommodate the device. Safety should be paramount. The real cause of the discomfort should be investigated.

[Logrence]

I think the style of F1 is the problem - the cockpits are smaller, the circuits are twisty, high-G, high-speed circuits that put a lot of pressure on drivers even without a cumbersome plastic collar round their necks.

[gttouring]

there are 3 head and neck restraint devices out there. HANS is one and the most elegant looking so it fits F1 best, custom designs should be allowed, then it would be no problem. NASCAR uses them and another type, it is a series of straps that connect to the helmet and a body harness, the 3rd device is new and offered in the US sports car club magazine, very cheap actually but it is set up like a HANS device but it attaches to a thing you lay against so it doesn't interfere with you nerve tract to cause paralyzing effect. I have tried the HANS and really whats the fuss? i used to hate neck collars but tried that and it worked fine, now the HANS is the same, maybe these guy are wearing them too tight or got bad mouldings, who else complains? JV? he complains about evrything nowadays...

[Cobra]

What about making the helmets even lighter, I know that I may be on the wrong track But we hear all the time about how technological breakthroughs can increase the strength of this and reduce the size/weight of that.
Does anyone know the differences in the weight of helmets now compared to say, fifteen years ago?

[Lee Janotta]

Also the drivers are more prone to complaining than in CART or NASCAR, where drivers are told to put on a happy face in front of the press and fans, lest they be slapped with fines for "actions detrimental to the series" or some other loosely defined nonsense.

[Hugh Jarce]

It may be the old, old story.

When it comes to change - some people embrace it without moaning, others have to be pulled screaming and kicking in.

Having said that, hats off to Justin who stuck with it through major grief - that's enough for me to show that this needs a bit more thinking!

[Mr V]

Although i personally feel that it should be optional, the FIA are right, the teams and drivers have known about it since 2001 and have known since mid (??) 2002 that it would be compulsary. DC took it upom himself to work closely with the HANS manufacturers and create a device that is comfortable and doesn't restrict him. Every top driver could have done this, if any driver was to be given dispensation it should be Justin Wilson, due to the lack of time he had to work with the HANS manufacurers. Rubens knew that he would be contracted right after Austria last year, more than enough time to get one properly sorted!

[shiny side up!]

But is it the manufacturer who is making the changes to the HANS, or is it the individual teams adapting it to their car/driver? At any rate, at the speeds F1 cars travel, I rate driver distraction as something you want to avoid at all costs. I wish the FIA would make it a driver's choice, or at least create a new deadline by which they must use it...

[Hugh Jarce]

Originally posted by mr v
if any driver was to be given dispensation it should be Justin Wilson, due to the lack of time he had to work with the HANS manufacurers. Rubens knew that he would be contracted right after Austria last year, more than enough time to get one properly sorted!

Good points Mr V!

I'm pretty certain I heard the Renualt guys had custom one's sorted.

Makes you realise that the 'smaller' teams are handicapped in many different ways. That should never be the case on safety - if they need dosh / time to implement decent HANS gear they should get it!

[Peter Mallett]

Good point about driver position/design of cockpit. The F1 cocpit design may be a bit lower and tighter than aChampcar and its certainly a different position to that of a Nascar/Touring Car.

Might be a case of the wrong tool for the job.

[Adam43]

Originally posted by Lee Janotta
Max Mosley doesn't backtrack, because he'd be admitting he was wrong. Too big an ego to ever do that...

What about banning, then allowing and then banning driver aids. He seems quite capable of 'admitting he was wrong'.

I think the FIA probably believe they are right to do this. I disagree, but I don't doubt why they are doing it.

Anyway...

On the performance advantage part - surely it is possible to add some sort of ballast that will equate (or even be worse than a HANS device). Not too difficult I would have thought.

And make it voluntary. I'd have done that from the start perhaps with the view to making in compulsory in a year or two's time. If no one was going to use it the FIA could have 'sponsored' a few drivers to try it.

[shiny side up!]

That's just the thing... how can you justify a safety device that hampers the performance of a DRIVER? Ballast effects the car's speed and slows it down. If the HANS slows down drivers, why is it? Decreased mobility/vision/comfort? If any of the above are true, the thing should be canned immediately, those in themselves are risks we shouldn't be forcing on drivers.

[Don K]

Originally posted by shiny side up!
But is it the manufacturer who is making the changes to the HANS, or is it the individual teams adapting it to their car/driver?

I guess the teams (and drivers) can ask for changes. But the manufacturer has to build the new device, and the FIA has to test it. AFAIK, it takes 4-5 weeks to get a new one.

I wish the FIA would make it a driver's choice, or at least create a new deadline by which they must use it...

I would say 5 weeks after the Melbourne race would be a fair deadline, for drivers who don't want to drive with their current version (and can come up with medical evidence that they shouldn't).

[avsfan733]

Look, the things work. They Fit if worn correctly and don't cause pressure or pain if worn correctly. The drivers are a bunch of primadonas and I can see certain drivers being above taking advice on how to wear it. If it does bother them then use one of the other similar devices out there.

Or maybe the FIA could solve the problem by incorporating the restraints into the seat. This has multiple benefits. The seat is desgined to be removed as a whole, so attatching a neck restraint to this is not a bad place to go, in a bad accident it would happen anyways. Also it would be lighter and wouldn't sit on the drivers poor shoulders

[Jay]

I think it should be personal choice, also helmets should be personal choices.

I have no idea what problems some drivers have with this device though, it's tried and tested. I think the ones that complain a lot are just being big babies.