Abstract
Each year the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations prescribe a more demanding range of tests and requirements to ensure that drivers and spectators are provided with the best possible protection. Back in 1963, the first of the Safety
Regulations were drafted by the FIA and demanded safety features such as double braking systems, rollbars and rules for seatbelt anchorages. Today the Technical Regulations are far more complex and demand exacting levels of performance from the structures that are tested. As the weight of a Formula One car is critical, designers will take construction to its limit, and use as little material as possible to achieve the required limits and criterion. It is, therefore, essential that the tests that are prescribed provide accurate and appropriate evaluation to ensure a maximum level of safety performance. Such tests are not only limited to the car. Indeed, both the circuit barriers and the drivers-protective equipment are subjected to rigorous testing to ensure maximum safety on race-day. It is essential that compatibility is achieved between each of the safety-systems incorporated within these three areas; the circuit, the car and the drivers protective equipment.