Formula 1 and the Relationship Between Death, Danger, Safety and Popularity

The biggest problem with modern Formula One, despite what you may read elsewhere, is not Pirelli, nor the difficulty of passing without the drag reduction system, nor the financial struggles of various teams.

It is the lack of danger.

The spectre of death no longer hangs over every Grand Prix and, while this is certainly a positive development, it has robbed Grand Prix racing of some of its essence.

Indeed, the sport’s current problems would have seemed quaint to the drivers of F1’s primitive years, who worried more about whether they would survive the race than about tyre compounds or sponsorships.

F1 Grand Prix racing became popular in the middle of the 20th century because it combined the glamour of fast cars driven by young men in exotic locales, from Buenos Aires to Monte Carlo, with the danger of fast cars driven by young men through deep forests in Germany and Belgium and at high-speed, purpose-built tracks from Italy to South Africa.

The inaugural F1 World Championship season was in 1950, although Grand Prix racing has existed for almost as long as the automobile.

In the early days of the championship, death was a regular occurrence. The tally of F1 drivers killed changes based on the parameters of the list (drivers killed in practices or testing, drivers killed in non-championship races, etc.), but between 1955 and 1961, nine drivers were killed during races alone (including the Indianapolis 500, which was part of the World Championship from 1950 to 1961).