Formula One cars must pass strict impact tests to ensure
they meet the necessary safety standards. The tests must be carried out
under FIA guidelines and in the presence of an FIA technical delegate.
The
cars undergo a front, side and rear test. The tests focus on the car’s
survival cell, which must be left undamaged by the impacts. All
structural damage must be limited to the car’s impact absorbing
structures, for example, the side-pods, the nose etc.
The car’s
steering column must also pass an impact test, which simulates the
unlikely event of a driver’s head striking the steering wheel. The
column itself must deform to absorb the majority of the impact and the
wheel’s quick release mechanism must not be damaged.
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