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F1 Safety Standards much Better Now: Mansell

Published 01/15/2018, 9:58 AM EST

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Former F1 world champion Nigel Mansell has praised the current F1 safety standards. He said that in his day, drivers faced a massive ‘downside’ if something went wrong. The 31-time Grand Prix winner and 1992 world champion made an appearance at the 2018 Autosport International show in Birmingham. Mansell compared his F1 stint with the current times. He acknowledged that Grand Prix racing has transformed immensely in terms of safety.

Mansell said, “We had a flat out career where we had to look in the mirror some mornings and say, were we willing to put it on the line to try and get that extra half a second to try and get on the front row of the grid or win a race. But the downside for us back then was that if we got it wrong, we could kill ourselves. The psyche is different now because run-off areas and the safety standards in Formula 1 are immeasurably, a zillion times better.”

via Imago

Mansell recounted anecdotes about his racing career at the Autosport show. He said, “It’s such a pleasant surprise to come back. I mean I grew up around here, so it’s like coming back home, even hearing the voices and the twang. People are so generous and supportive.”

In the 2018 Formula One season, the F1 safety standards are set to be raised even higher as the HALO device comes into effect. Admittedly, none of the drivers or teams are happy with the addition but there is no turning back. In fact, there are a number of changes that have been introduced this season that have received a lot of flak. For example, the teams have been critical or the 3-power unit limit imposed for the upcoming season. They fear that it will lead to a championship decided by engine penalties

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Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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