The number of meters that are used in its manufacturing rises up to 30. There is another key element that contributed to Fernando Alonso´s fortune, despite hitting at 315 kilometers per hour: the HANS system, which holds the pilot´s head and neck. This necklace is also made in carbon fiber and sits on the pilot´s shoulders connecting to the helmet with elastic straps. Its usage prevents the pilot to hit the steering wheel with his head.
This composite material, which companies like Carbures work with, are 4.5 times lighter and 3 times more flexible and resistant than steel. Due to these advantages, composites allow the production of cars, planes and trains that reach higher speeds, but also consume less fuel and cause less contamination.
Decades ago, Formula 1 pilots weren´t as lucky as Fernando Alonso. The legendary Ayrton Senna died in a crash at Imola (Italy) in 1994. Since then, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) began to investigate scientifically all the situations that may occur in a race to ensure pilot´s safety.
David Purley in 1977 crashed into a wall at a speed of 173 kilometers per hour. He saved his life, but suffered multiple bone fractures, various internal injuries, six heart attacks and a limp that lasted until he died years later in a flight exhibition.
If carbon fiber had existed, perhaps Purley and Senna wouldn’t have suffered the consequences of these two crashes.