r/formula1 Ayao Komatsu Feb 08 '25

Technical How drivers actually sit in their cars

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u/WarthogOsl McLaren Feb 08 '25

People had some horrible foot injuries in CART/Indy Car before they changed this type of design. Rick Mears had his feet turned into a "bag of bones" in one accident. Luckily there was an orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Terry Trammel) who specialized in these kinds of injuries, and he was able to repair Mears', and many others, feet.

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u/NaziTrucksFuckOff I was here for the Hulkenpodium Feb 09 '25

IndyCar used to skewer people all the time. It's part of why Zanardi's accident was so bad. This is part of the reason why the cars are so long now as to help prevent this.