Former F1 driver Luciano Burti has called upon the FIA to strengthen helmet visors in the wake of Felipe Massa's accident.
Former F1 driver says attachment of visor to helmet should be strengthened
Former Formula One driver Luciano Burti has called upon the FIA to strengthen helmet visors in the wake of Felipe Massa's accident.
Massa looks set to miss the rest of the season as he recovers from head injuries sustained in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix almost a fortnight ago - the Brazilian's crash helmet being hit by a spring which had come loose from Rubens Barrichello's car.
Although the accident was deemed by many to have been a freak occurrence, FIA president Max Mosley has nevertheless asked the governing body's Safety Commission to prepare a report.
However, fellow Brazilian Burti, whose own F1 career was ended by an accident in the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix, believes the first step towards improving safety is to strengthen helmet visors.
Like Massa, Burti suffered a brain concussion in his accident, caused when he crashed head on into a barrier at Spa-Francorchamps. However, he was not wearing the latest standard of helmet.
The FIA made its new standard - the type worn by Massa - compulsory in 2004. Even so, Burti believes the screws used to attach the visor to it are not strong enough.
"After Felipe's accident at the Hungaroring, I can see the helmet's evolution since my accident in the Belgium GP 2001," Burti told his website.
"Looking at the pictures of my helmet, we can see that if it was made of carbon fibre, like they are today, the damage would have been be less significant.
"This shows the merit of the FIA and helmet constructors on improving drivers' safety.
"But at the same time, I would like to point something out. You can see on my helmet, even with the strong front impact against the tyre barriers, the visor remained attached because it was fixed by four screws, different than most helmets which have two screws only for visor fixing (to reduce weight).
"But on Felipe's accident, we could see the visor became loose because the screw didn't resist the strong impact, and with the face exposed, he could have suffered worse consequences, especially for his face.
"I would like to make clear that I trust the FIA and the helmet constructors, I already said they are doing a fantastic job regarding drivers' safety.
"But looking at those facts, in two different accidents, we can see the visor's fixing, for all helmets brands, needs to be improved to make sure it doesn't open or get detached when the helmet suffers strong impacts.
"It is still a clear improvement when compared with a helmet of eight years ago. As I had my own experience in 2001, I felt responsible to make the point about it."
