Alonso's Crash

[Moose]

If 50g is likely to kill, and '100g is impossible to survive', why do we have records of well over 200g being survived?

It's only a significant impact if it's experienced for a significant amount of time, with no crumple zone, the exposure time is likely to have been brief. It's also probably lateral or axial loading, which the body is pretty good at dealing with.

1) You removed a key word from '100g is impossible to survive'
2) we only have one record of someone surviving a 200g impact (that I can find), and those records are invariably paired with stories saying "this is pretty much impossible to do, it's incredible that someone survived an impact that violent, it's a 1 in a million chance to manage that".

[PlatinumZealot]

I am more concerned with what caused him to lose control of the car than the severity of the crash itself.... I have my theory but i will wait until more news is unveiled.

[bill shoe]

My theory is gray-out or black-out due to lack of nutrition caused by a severe diet. In this possible situation, Alonso was trying to lose weight or maintain an unhealthy low weight due to incentives of current rules (light driver = go faster). Alonso has his right to medical privacy, etc. but the other drivers have a right to know what's going on if they are on the track with him.

[max_speed]

The more we learn about Alonso, the more I suspect he got an electric shock from the ERS crap in these F1 cars. The wierdest crash he's ever had, a man that otherwise drives and works like an ox gets so much medical attention for a 150kph thump against a wall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cesmj5PkmWg

This IMO happened at a similar speed and at a similar angle...and bear in mind that this a 2005 car...10 years of saftey in an F1 car should make this kind of incident unnoticeable to an F1 driver.

i am also in for an ERS shock , we came out of car and can not even stand and was shivering , all symptoms of a electric shock when they discovered it they did not allow button to sit in it. i guess mclaren will be hiding the details else would be too bad news for all ready beleaguered Japanese

[SectorOne]

The weight increased this year, drivers can now be heavier and multiple drivers have reported its better this year.
A very strange accident but i'm sure it will all be cleared up soon enough.

[podpi]

Crash sequence in stills http://imgur.com/a/BJfWo

[Chuckjr]

I'm not trying to stir the electric shock theory pot, but what are the safety measures currently in place to keep a driver from being electrocuted?

The voltages they are running are insane. Certainly there must be multiple layers of standard safety measures to protect the driver?

What about an untra light layer of wire mesh woven into the drivers suit, connected by quick connects at the appendages, and then grounded to the car?

[Just_a_fan]

It would be a massively unlucky coincidence that the car electrocuted him and then immediately was safe to handle - the green safety lights are clearly visible on the car.

I would have thought that being subjected to the full whack from the ERS battery wouldn't render the driver unconscious - it would kill him.

[WaikeCU]

I wonder if it's ERS related and if there really was an electric discharge. If so, is an electric discharge similar to the way how a defibrillator acts or even worse?

Some has to question the drivers too. Do these drivers have to undergo FIA medical checks prior Winter testing to determine if they are fit enough to drive?

[ChrisDanger]

The circumstances around the crash seem bizarre, and are cause for concern. Until we know more we can only guess what actually happened, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we should.

[Roman]

How would such an ERS shock even work? Electricity always needs to go from A to B. Let's assume it came out of the ERS, where would it go? And where would it go by coosing to go through ALO? The drivers in the car are more like the birds sitting on high voltage lines. Much more electricity in play but nothing happens because the electricity has nowhere to go thourgh the bird's body. So ERS shock doesn't make much sense...

[max_speed]

How would such an ERS shock even work? Electricity always needs to go from A to B. Let's assume it came out of the ERS, where would it go? And where would it go by coosing to go through ALO? The drivers in the car are more like the birds sitting on high voltage lines. Much more electricity in play but nothing happens because the electricity has nowhere to go thourgh the bird's body. So ERS shock doesn't make much sense...

it could be battery fumes too ... something failed causing fumes that made him unconscious

[Fernando]

You can clearly see 'the green led light' on top of the car. Also when the mcl mechanics arrive, and stand right next to the car, you can see them wearing the thick black safety gloves. Is this a normal procedures with any crash? Can't remember seeing marshalls doing so in race accidents with 'green light'

[Tim.Wright]

It uncovers another interesting point.

A side on impact to a concrete wall means there are no energy absorbing structures between the impact and the driver. In this case, all of the parts in the chain are designed to be as stiff as possible (wheels, suspension, gearbox, engine, chassis) which is the worst thing you can have in an impact.

If everything is rigid, it doesn't take a high impact speed to pass a lot of acceleration to the driver.

The energy absorbing impact structures are shorter than the suspension and in parallel to them. So a square on impact with a concrete wall means that the wheels + suspension need to be broken off before the side impact structures are allowed to work.

Regarding the electric shock. If an ERS system can send 100hp of electricity to an electric motor, then its capable of sending it to the driver too.

[alexx_88]

Why does everyone seem to suggest that the medical problems afterwards were a consequence of the crash and not the other way around? There doesn't seem to be any explanation on why one of the most experienced drivers on the grid lost control at a mere 150kph and didn't have ANY reaction while the car was heading for the wall?