List of Formula One fatalities
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Formula One (F1) is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body.[1] The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and vehicles must conform.[2] The F1 World Championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets.[3] The results of each race are combined to determine two annual Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors.[4]
Safety standards have improved since the first World Championship Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1950, where there was no medical back-up nor safety measures in case of an accident.[5] Helmets were not made mandatory until 1952, though these were simple cork-lined helmets with no visors.[6] It was not until the 1960s that robust full-visor helmets were made mandatory, along with fireproof overalls, and the FIA assumed responsibility for safety at the circuits.[5] Steps were taken to improve the safety of the Formula One car in the 1970s; the cockpit opening was enlarged allowing the driver to escape more quickly in the event of an accident and outside mirrors became mandatory.[7] The 1980s saw further improvement in the structure of the Formula One car, with the monocoque being made out of carbon fibre instead of aluminium, increasing protection upon impact.[8] Following the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994, a number of measures were introduced in an attempt to slow the cars down, including bodywork aerodynamic limitations, a pit lane speed limit and temporary circuit modifications such as extra chicanes. Grooved tyres were introduced in 1998 instead of racing slick tyres to reduce cornering speed.[9] Safety measures continued to be introduced into the 21st century, with a number of circuits having their configuration changed to improve driver safety.[10]
This list includes drivers who have died during a FIA World Championship event (including practice, qualifying and the race), and those who have died while driving modern or vintage Formula One cars outside the World Championship. Track marshals and other race attendees who have died as a result of these accidents are not included in the list. Fifty-two drivers have died from incidents that occurred at a FIA World Championship event or while driving a Formula One car at another event, with Cameron Earl being the first in 1952. Thirty-two of the drivers died from incidents during Grand Prix race weekends which formed part of the World Championship, seven died during test sessions, and twelve driving Formula One cars during non-championship Formula One weekends or vintage/historic events. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has seen the most fatalities; seven drivers have died there during the time that the Indianapolis 500 formed part of the world championship, though the Indianapolis 500 was held to AAA regulations rather than Formula One regulations. Fifteen drivers died in the 1950s; fourteen in the 1960s; twelve in the 1970s; four in the 1980s and two in the 1990s. Following the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola on consecutive days in 1994, no driver died during world championship events for more than 20 years until Jules Bianchi's death in 2015, from injuries sustained during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.[11] Three drivers died in the intervening years while driving former Formula One cars (two from the 1960s, one from the 1990s) in vintage racing and other events not associated with World Championship Grands Prix.[12][13][14] Two Formula One Champions have died while racing or practising in Formula One, Jochen Rindt in 1970, and Senna in 1994. Rindt was not a champion at the time of his death, but won the 1970 championship posthumously, the only driver to have done so.[15]
- Onofre Marimón was the first fatality specifically at a World Championship Grand Prix, the 1954 German Grand Prix; Chet Miller was the first fatality at a World Championship event, the 1953 Indianapolis 500[note 1]
- Jochen Rindt is the only driver to posthumously win a World Championship, missing the last four races after his fatal crash in qualifying for the 1970 Italian Grand Prix
- Three-time world champion Ayrton Senna is the only former champion to die from a crash during a World Championship race, the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
- Jules Bianchi is the most recent fatality resulting from a World Championship race incident, dying from injuries suffered at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix
Fatalities
Detail by driver
† | Indicates event was not part of the Formula One World Championship, such as official non-championship Formula One events[note 2] and unassociated events using vintage Formula One cars. |
‡ | Indicates test drive of a Formula One car that was not part of any competitive event.[note 3] |
By type of event
Event | Fatalities | First | Last |
---|---|---|---|
World Championship[note 23] | 32 | 1953 | 2014 |
Testing[note 3] | 7 | 1952 | 1986 |
Non-Championship & other[note 24] | 13 | 1955 | 2017 |
Total | 52 | 1952 | 2017 |
By nationality
Nationality | Total | First | Last |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | 14 | 1952 | 2014 |
![]() | 10 | 1953 | 1975 |
![]() | 7 | 1955 | 1986 |
![]() | 5 | 1968 | 2017 |
![]() | 4 | 1970 | 2002 |
![]() | 2 | 1961 | 1969 |
![]() | 1 | 1954 | |
![]() | 1977 | ||
![]() | 1953 | ||
![]() | 1994 | ||
![]() | 1982 | ||
![]() | 1962 | ||
![]() | 1964 | ||
![]() | 1962 | ||
![]() | 1978 | ||
![]() | 1971 | ||
Total for 16 nationalities | 52 | 1952 | 2017 |
By circuit
Circuit | Total | First | Last |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | 7 | 1953 | 1959 |
![]() | 5 | 1954 | 1969 |
![]() | 4 | 1960 | 2014 |
![]() | 3 | 1953 | 1961 |
![]() | 1961 | 1977 | |
![]() | 1961 | 1978 | |
![]() | 1970 | 2017 | |
![]() | 2 | 1960 | |
![]() | 1973 | 1974 | |
![]() | 1974 | 1977 | |
![]() | 1994 | ||
![]() | 1 | 1952 | |
![]() | 1955 | ||
![]() | 1958 | ||
![]() | 1958 | ||
![]() | 1962 | ||
![]() | 1962 | ||
![]() | 1967 | ||
![]() | 1968 | ||
![]() | 1975 | ||
![]() | 1980 | ||
![]() | 1982 | ||
![]() | 1982 | ||
![]() | 1986 | ||
![]() | 2000 | ||
![]() | 2002 | ||
![]() | 2014 | ||
Total for 27 circuits | 52 | 1952 | 2017 |
By decade
Decade | Total | First | Last |
---|---|---|---|
1950s | 15 | 1952 | 1959 |
1960s | 14 | 1960 | 1969 |
1970s | 12 | 1970 | 1978 |
1980s | 4 | 1980 | 1986 |
1990s | 2 | 1994 | 1994 |
2000s | 2 | 2000 | 2002 |
2010s | 3 | 2014 | 2017 |
Total | 52 | 1952 | 2017 |
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f From 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 was part of the World Drivers' Championship, though the Indianapolis 500 was held to AAA regulations rather than Formula One regulations. During those 11 years, only once did a regular Formula One driver enter an Indianapolis 500 race, when eventual 1952 Formula One World Drivers' Champion Alberto Ascari competed in the 1952 race, retiring on lap 40 of 200.[17]
- ^ Non-championship events, organized by Formula One as officially-sanctioned events during a regular season, were discontinued after the 1983 Race of Champions
- ^ a b Fatalities during a test drive of a Formula One car that was not part of any competitive event. The first such fatality was an automotive engineer testing a team car during a Formula One season, while all others were then-current Formula One drivers testing their team car during a Formula One season.
- ^ Ayulo died on May 17, 1955, the day after his accident.[21]
- ^ Lewis-Evans died of burns on October 25, 1958, six days after his accident.[18]
- ^ Unser Jr. died of burns on May 17, 1959, fifteen days after his accident.[18]
- ^ Bristow and Stacey died in separate accidents.[18]
- ^ Unable to slow down his car because of technical failure, Cabianca drove through an open gate onto an adjoining public road where he hit several vehicles. Cabianca was killed along with three other people.[25]
- ^ Having collided with Clark, von Trips's car shot up the bank lining the track, hit a wire fence and struck several people gathered behind it while spinning in the air. Von Trips, who was ejected from the car, and fifteen spectators died.[26]
- ^ Godin de Beaufort died on August 2, 1964, the day after his accident.[29]
- ^ Taylor died of fifty per cent burns on September 8, 1966, thirty-two days after his accident.[30]
- ^ Bandini died on May 10, 1967, three days after his accident.[31]
- ^ Crash occurred during an official testing session for the race as cars arrived for the race.
- ^ After a tire had blown out, Donohue careened through a number of catch fences and billboards, a support post of which may have struck his helmet. He and Manfred Schaller, a track marshal who had been hit by debris, died on August 19, 1975, two days after the accident.[41]
- ^ Pryce and Frederick Jansen van Vuuren, a teenage volunteer safety marshal, were killed after colliding at high speed when Jansen van Vuuren was crossing the track to put out a fire.[42]
- ^ Experiencing a mechanical failure on his car, McGuire lost control and crashed into a marshals' post. He was killed along with track marshal John Thorpe.[43]
- ^ Peterson died in hospital on September 11, 1978, the day after his accident, as a result of fat embolism.[44]
- ^ De Angelis died on May 15, 1986, the day after his accident.[48]
- ^ Death of Ayrton Senna
- ^ Dawson-Damer crashed into a wooden gantry at the finish line, also killing Andrew Carpenter, a marshal, and seriously wounding another. The 59-year-old driver may have suffered a fatal heart attack before losing control of his car.[51]
- ^ Bianchi remained comatose in hospital until he succumbed to his injuries on July 17, 2015, more than nine months after his accident.[11]
- ^ Ferrer died on September 7, 2017, five days after his accident.[53]
- ^ Fatalities during practice, qualifying, or race at a Formula One World Championship event.
- ^ Fatalities during non-championship Formula One events organized as part of the official Formula One racing season (once common, such as the 14 non-championship races in 1963, these were discontinued after the single 1983 non-championship race), and other unassociated competitions using vintage Formula One cars.
References
- ^ "About FIA". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
- ^ Williamson, Martin. "A brief history of Formula One". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Hughes, Mark; Tremayne, David (2002). The Concise Encyclopedia of Formula 1. Parragon. pp. 82–83. ISBN 0-75258-766-8.
- ^ "2020 Formula One Sporting Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). April 7, 2020. pp. 3–4. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "The fifties and sixties". Formula One World Championship Limited. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ "Evolution of Formula 1 helmets since the first days of the series until now". CMHelmets.com. March 18, 2022. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ "The seventies". Formula One World Championship Limited. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ "The eighties". Formula One World Championship Limited. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ "The nineties". Formula One World Championship Limited. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ "The 21st century". Formula One World Championship Limited. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ a b c DiZinno, Tony (July 17, 2015). "Jules Bianchi dies at age 25, his family confirms". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015.
- ^ a b Savill, Richard (June 26, 2000). "Brother of Earl dies in Goodwood hill climb". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016.
- ^ a b "Grave incident mars Czech Superprix". Motorsport.com. July 16, 2002. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018.
- ^ a b "Historic racer Denis Welch dies in Silverstone Classic accident". Autosport. July 28, 2014. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018.
- ^ a b Benson, Andrew (March 13, 2012). "Formula 1's greatest drivers. Number 20: Jochen Rindt". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Killed while testing racing car". The Times. London. June 19, 1952. p. 4.
- ^ "F1: A brief history of the US Grand Prix". F1.com. November 14, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018 – via Racing News.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Williamson, Martin. "Deaths in Formula One". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
- ^ "Charles de Tornaco". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015.
- ^ "XVI Grand Prix de Pau". Motor Sport. Vol. XXXI, no. 5. Teesdale Publishing. May 1955. pp. 264–265.
- ^ "Crash injuries fatal to Indianapolis racer". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. May 17, 1955. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ Diepraam, Mattijs; Muelas, Felix (2001). "The dashing Milanese that stayed young forever". 8W. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012 – via Forix.com/8w.
- ^ "Silverstone '58 – Hawthorn & Collins' all-English affair". Formula1.com. July 6, 2010. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013.
- ^ "Racing driver dies after crash". The Times. London. June 2, 1961. p. 23.
- ^ a b "Four die in Italian race car crash". The Times. London. June 16, 1961. p. 13.
- ^ Collantine, Keith (September 10, 2011). "50 years ago today: F1's worst tragedy at Monza". RaceFans. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015.
- ^ Williams, Richard (September 5, 2011). "When motor racing really was a matter of life and death". TheGuardian.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013.
- ^ "Ricardo Rodríguez". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015.
- ^ Diepraam, Mattijs (May 24, 2000). "The last knight of Grand Prix racing". 8W. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016 – via Forix.com/8w.
- ^ a b "John Taylor". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.
- ^ a b "Lorenzo Bandini". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016.
- ^ "Bob Anderson". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015.
- ^ "Schlesser dies in experimental Honda at Rouen". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018.
- ^ "Racing car death". The Times. London. May 26, 1970. p. 2.
- ^ "Martin Brain". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
- ^ Edworthy, Sarah (July 19, 2003). "Piers Courage lived life to the full and was tipped for GP greatness". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012.
- ^ "Jo Siffert". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015.
- ^ "François Cevert". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015.
- ^ "Peter Revson". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016.
- ^ Katz, Michael (October 7, 1974). "Driver is killed as Fittipaldi wins title at Watkins Glen". The New York Times. p. 45. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018.
- ^ "Donohue dies after surgery". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. August 20, 1975. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "Plaque to commemorate F1 winner". BBC News Online. June 11, 2009. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012.
- ^ a b "News in brief: Brands Hatch crash kills 2". The Times. London. August 30, 1977. p. 1.
- ^ "Ronnie Peterson". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015.
- ^ "F1's greatest drivers – 19 Ronnie Peterson". Autosport. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
- ^ "Patrick Depailler". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (July 4, 2012). "Formula 1's greatest drivers. Number 12: Gilles Villeneuve". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Racer dies of crash injuries". Boca Raton News. May 16, 1986. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ "Elio de Angelis". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (April 21, 2004). "A death that shocked the world". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010.
- ^ Harding, Thomas (June 27, 2000). "Driver 'died of heart attack before crash'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018.
- ^ "Fritz Glatz". Grandprix.com. July 19, 2002. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018.
- ^ a b Pye, Marcus; Benyon, Jack (September 7, 2017). "French driver David Ferrer dies after Zandvoort Historic GP crash". Autosport. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018.
External links
- Formula One official website Archived February 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- FIA official website Archived August 13, 2022, at the Wayback Machine