Accidents have been recorded many a times in F1 history, most notably the tragic death of the great Ayrton Senna. In order to ensure safety of F1 racers, F1 GP organizers for the race to be held in Noida are on their heels preparing for the worst case scenario. Apollo Hospital in Delhi and Fortis Hospital in Noida are working together with JPSI (Jaypee Sports International) to provide support medically for the great spectacle to be held for the first time in India. A specialist team assisted by 2 medical helicopters would be available at the circuit in case of an emergency extraction or fatal crashes encountered by racers.
The last fatal accident happened in 1994 killing the legendary Ayrton Senna in the San Marino GP in 1994. Experts suggest that safety measures need to be taken imperatively for an accident-free and sound Indian GP.
Health partnership statuses have been given to both Apollo and Fortis Hospitals who are preparing for the worst for 3 months now. A Fortis Hospital visit showed they are training around 250 members for the event in order to provide the best medical intervention as possible. Training sessions happened jointly with the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) creating a dedicated batch that treats injuries seen commonly in motorsports.
In addition, 2 helicopters would be available with the special team at all times during the race. In an event where they need to extract drivers after a crash, these helicopters would fly them to either Fortis or Apollo Hospitals. Sources told special helipads have been constructed in the hospitals in case of an accident or required emergency extraction anywhere in the circuit.
F1 guidelines do state that the presence of 2 cars is a must for the event, which are medical and safety cars. The safety car is used to halt the race from its regular high speeds to lower speeds when debris needs to be cleared from the track when an accident occurs. The medical car’s duty is to rush in a team of specialists at the accident site for timely treatment. Training sessions so far undergone under the guidance of FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) was very important to react quickly in emergent situations for the FI races are unpredictable and may prove to be stressful and spring many surprises.
A health expert for motorsports explains Formula 1 races were indeed a matter of honour and pride for India. He says medical standards in India are very high, but there were certain areas like timelines which proved to be a bit lethargic. He told the turnaround time (TAT) to effectively react to an accident in Formula 1 racing was very less and the whole team needed to be very disciplined and sharp to react making sure the necessary interventions medically were of high standards.
Buddh International Circuit (BIC) was built by Hermann Tilke, an architect. The track stretches over 5 km, which has sharp corners and 2 long stretches as part of its design. Longest straights would enable a F1 driver to race at a maximum of 318 km per hour.
F1 experts say though F1 drivers are used to high straight line speeds, it was the corners and turns that caused accidents. Special extraction groups, emergent medical teams, ambulances via air would all be available around the corners and turns with medical teams and doctor on their feet for timely intervention.
A JPSI (Jaypee Sports International) spokesman said they had made sure that all possible details regarding precautions are being taken care of to provide adequate safety in case of an accident on the track. Formula 1 preparation is always critical when it comes to safety issues, and preparations done for the F1 GP in Noida, India, are the same as in other circuits around the world.
A lot is expected from the first ever Indian GP, at least for F1 enthusiasts in India to witness one of the spectacular events in the world. Most of us have been watching F1 races on TV, but now have an opportunity to watch it live in India. Tickets are available, but to be bought from authorized dealers. Red Bull is having a dream run again in F1 races this season with Sebastian Vettel getting stronger. Ferrari is not far behind with Alonso steering the wheels pretty well, but still not able to match Red Bull’s speed. For all the Ferrari fans in India, it would be a dream come true to watch Alonso win his first ever Indian GP title here for Ferrari.
