Three days after the tragic loss of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, Auto123.com talked to 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve -- a former winner of the famed Indianapolis 500 race -- about the tragic Las Vegas race.
“People gotta keep in mind that racing is dangerous. Two or three decades ago, two or three race car drivers used to be killed every year. People were used to hearing such bad news,” Jacques Villeneuve told Auto123.com.
“Nowadays, most think that motor racing is outstandingly safe. Wrong. And today's race car drivers tend to believe the same. They're wrong. They seem to not be fully aware of the dangers. And they drive differently because of that. I realised that when I drove my dad's Ferrari 312T3 at Goodwood. In those days, drivers respected each others because it was so easy to get hurt in these cars. Today, some drive as if they were playing a video game,” Villeneuve added.
“Big crashes happen on a regular basis. Look at the 24 Hours of the Le Mans this year. If you're lucky, you escape from the wreckage without a problem. But don't be mistaken: Motor sports will never be 100% safe,” Villeneuve, who's had his share of huge crashes in his career, added.
“You don't have to travel at 220 mph to be injured. Look at what happened to Felipe Massa in Formula 1 a few years ago when his helmet was struck by a steel coil spring. A few inches to the right and he would have been killed, instantly. So the danger is not always related to the speed of the vehicle,” remembered Villeneuve.
The former F1 champion with Williams explained that Dan Wheldon was very unlucky to get caught in the terrifying melee that occurred.
“It's extremely sad for his family who will have to live with that. Unfortunately, there's no way to avoid accidents and crashes in motor racing. Poor Dan was an outstanding race car driver but had nothing at all to do with the accident that happened in front of him. He was just a passenger,” the Canadian told Auto123.com.
He added: “These ovals are not suited for single-seater racing. These tracks are designed and built for the NASCAR stock cars which are closed cockpits and offer much better driver protection. Racing on this type of track is pushing our luck. Additionally, it's too easy to drive an Indy car on the limit. I drove on all sorts of ovals during my days in the CART series and there were ovals where you really needed to control the car, brake for the corner and leave space for the other competitors. But with today's Indy cars, you just run the track flat-out. This means that an average driver can run as fast as the best in the series, and that causes traffic problems and may lead to accidents.”
“People gotta keep in mind that racing is dangerous. Two or three decades ago, two or three race car drivers used to be killed every year. People were used to hearing such bad news,” Jacques Villeneuve told Auto123.com.
“Nowadays, most think that motor racing is outstandingly safe. Wrong. And today's race car drivers tend to believe the same. They're wrong. They seem to not be fully aware of the dangers. And they drive differently because of that. I realised that when I drove my dad's Ferrari 312T3 at Goodwood. In those days, drivers respected each others because it was so easy to get hurt in these cars. Today, some drive as if they were playing a video game,” Villeneuve added.
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| Jacques Villeneuve won the Indy 500 in 1995. (Photo: IMS) |
“Big crashes happen on a regular basis. Look at the 24 Hours of the Le Mans this year. If you're lucky, you escape from the wreckage without a problem. But don't be mistaken: Motor sports will never be 100% safe,” Villeneuve, who's had his share of huge crashes in his career, added.
“You don't have to travel at 220 mph to be injured. Look at what happened to Felipe Massa in Formula 1 a few years ago when his helmet was struck by a steel coil spring. A few inches to the right and he would have been killed, instantly. So the danger is not always related to the speed of the vehicle,” remembered Villeneuve.
The former F1 champion with Williams explained that Dan Wheldon was very unlucky to get caught in the terrifying melee that occurred.
“It's extremely sad for his family who will have to live with that. Unfortunately, there's no way to avoid accidents and crashes in motor racing. Poor Dan was an outstanding race car driver but had nothing at all to do with the accident that happened in front of him. He was just a passenger,” the Canadian told Auto123.com.
He added: “These ovals are not suited for single-seater racing. These tracks are designed and built for the NASCAR stock cars which are closed cockpits and offer much better driver protection. Racing on this type of track is pushing our luck. Additionally, it's too easy to drive an Indy car on the limit. I drove on all sorts of ovals during my days in the CART series and there were ovals where you really needed to control the car, brake for the corner and leave space for the other competitors. But with today's Indy cars, you just run the track flat-out. This means that an average driver can run as fast as the best in the series, and that causes traffic problems and may lead to accidents.”