F1 drivers deceased
behind racing car wheel
The fifties
Accidents
GP races: 84
Estimated racing kms: unknown
Accidents in races: unknown
Injuries, drivers: unknown
Fatalities, drivers: 25
Fatalities, officials: unknown
Fatalities, spectators: unknown
Technical newbies
Disk Brakes (1951)
First non-turbo producing 100 hp/1000 cc (1953)
Direct Injection (1945)
Desmodromic valves (1954)
Cars with the engine in the back
The sixties
Accidents
GP races: 100
Estimated racing kms: 483.000
Accidents in races: 47
Injuries, drivers: 4
Fatalities, drivers: 3
Fatalities, officials: 0
Fatalities, spectators: 0
Technical newbies
Four wheel traction (1960)
Six speed gearbox (1961)
Monocoque (1962)
Spoilers and small wings (1967)
Wings on supports (1968)
The eighties
Accidents
GP races: 156
Estimated racing kms: 863.000
Accidents in races: 540
Injuries, drivers: 4
Fatalities, drivers: 8
Fatalities, officials: 1
Fatalities, spectators: 0
Technical newbies
Double Chassis (1981)
Carbon Fibre chassis (1981)
The survival cell (1982)
Pneumatic Valvehandling (1986)
Active Suspension (1987)
Semi - automatic gearbox (1989)
Seven - gearbox
The nineties
Accidents
GP races: 162
Estimated racing kms: 854.000
Accidents in races: unknown
Injuries, drivers: unknown
Fatalities, drivers: 2
Fatalities, officials: 0
Fatalities, spectators: 0
Technical newbies
High nose (1993)
The 2000's
Accidents
GP races: 92 (including 2005)
Estimated racing kms: unknown
Accidents in races: unknown
Injuries, drivers: unknown
Fatalities, drivers: 0
Fatalities, officials: 0
Fatalities, spectators: 0
Technical newbies
CART-alike flip-ups (2001, Williams)
Carbon-cased gearbox (2004, BAR 006)
V-keel front suspension (2005, Renault R25)
there's no deadly crash...
Down is the list of drivers who died during some racing event. All drivers on this list raced at least once in an unofficial Formula One race or in official Formula One World Championship race. Drivers with their names marked in red died at an official Formula One Championship race.
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. On this list are only the drivers who competed on Indianapolis 500 plus at least one FIA World Championship race.
The modern era of safety in Formula One began with the death of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at the San Marino GP in 1994. The tragic loss of one of the F1's greatest driver was a wake up call for the Formula One community. Senna's legacy was to ensure that nothing like his fatal accident would ever happen in Formula One again.
Sorted by the year:
1950 - 1955, 10 drivers died
1956 - 1960, 20 drivers died
1961 - 1965, 6 drivers died
1966 - 1970, 18 drivers died
1971 - 1975, 10 drivers died
1976 - 1980, 3 drivers died
1981 - 1985, 5 drivers died
1986 - 1990, 2 drivers died
1991 - 1995, 3 drivers died
1996 - 2010, 2 drivers died
All together 79 drivers died in 60 years of Formula 1 World Championship
To know more about safety in Formula 1, development in safety after incidents and tragedies, check article about general safety.
Check my article about improvement in racing car safety year by year
Check my article about improvement in track safety year by year
Check my article about improvement in driver safety year by year
Formula 1 is now in its seventh decade and it was only when reflecting on Webber's accident at European GP at Valencia 2010 race that I realised that the 2000s decade was the first decade in which no-one died in an F1 car, which is a massive achievement in Formula 1 safety.
The Red Bull driver somersaulted and landed upside down after running into the back of Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus.
Webber said: "I'm happy. After accident I was just having a shower and thinking, 'Mate, you're lucky to be in one piece.'
"It was a nasty incident. I was surprised by what happened. I'm a little bit tender here and there but the car did a great job."
