Tough Times for the Formula 1 Grand Prix Corporation
written by Kevin Summers, December 2001
While Victoria's State Coroner has refused to endorse safety facilities at the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, he has intimated to race organisers that his recommendations will not unduly hinder their March race preparations. Graeme Johnstone's balancing act invites reflection upon the genesis of the event in Melbourne and where it is headed.
Tracing its local origins is a remarkably simple matter. Business identity Ron Walker, a former Lord Mayor, convinced his friend, Premier Jeff Kennett, of the feasibility of levering the race from Adelaide and bringing it to Melbourne. The idea appealed to Kennett for its boldness and breadth - the chance to show Victoria as dynamic and vibrant. It was a two man operation.
Walker, of course, had to negotiate with the hard-nosed Formula One boss, Bernie Ecclestone, needing to assure him that Melbourne had a venue superior to Adelaide's street circuit. He proposed Albert Park, which had hosted motor racing for a period in the fifties before the Bolte Government terminated it as inappropriate for the space.
Herein lies the problem which has come to a head with the inquest into the death of track marshal, Graham Beveridge. Despite the enormous amount of capital which has been pumped into converting the area to accommodate the staging of the event, the park environs were simply never sufficiently large to guarantee the safety of those in attendance.
Melbourne's dilemma was summed up by the on-line motor racing magazine, Formula 1.com, in September: at Albert Park "spectators are very close to the action as the course is made up of natural roads and so does not have the safety measures that some purpose-built circuits include."
The spectators, standing or seated, are simply too close to the track. Raising the height of the mesh fences won't solve this problem. Former Austrian ace, Gerhard Berger, then the drivers' spokesman, opined in 1996 that parts of the track were too close to fences. Former champion, Finland's Mika Hakkinen, has stated that the track is very difficult to drive on. The governing body, the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA) is aware of these problems and has listed the March event as provisional, subject to the Coroner's findings.
A purpose built circuit would have at the very least minimised these difficulties. Spectators would have been placed beyond what would reasonably be foreseen as dangerous situations. Formula One's other street circuit, Monaco, differs from Albert Park in that the stands are situated well away from the track which winds through the city. Moreover, Monaco is the slowest of all circuits and presents few passing opportunities, a situation which negates the possibility of really high speed collisions
Walker and Kennett wanted the best of all worlds. They wanted a street circuit that would show off Melbourne to the world. They wanted it to be fast and exciting, a test of driving skill and tactics. They wanted the punters attending to have a graphic view of the dicing in comfort and safety. Perhaps they now understand that they couldn't have it all.
Early next year The Coroner will hand down his findings. He will comment upon whether it was reasonably foreseeable that parts of a racing car would pass through the gaps in the fence. He most certainly will endorse the Grand Prix Corporation's decision to effectively double the height of the wire mesh which forms the upper part of the fence.
He may spare a word or two as to whether shards of debris - rubber, aluminium or steel - can pass through the mesh at several hundred kilometres an hour after an accident. He may speculate on the capability of this debris to cause serious injury.
It remains to be seen if Mr. Johnstone turns his attention to what the Grand Prix Corporation wishes he doesn't - the general safety of the circuit in comparison to other venues. Doubtless he would have viewed footage of how Formula One cars behave in an accident. He would realise they behave erratically. While their construction serves to protect the drivers - it's hard to forget Martin Brundle stepping out of his wrecked machine and running to grab the spare car at Albert Park in 1996 - they cannot be guaranteed to stay within the confines of the circuit.
Indeed, Brundle's car hurtled skywards, as have others. Some have vaulted over safety barriers. It's no leap of imagination to appreciate the outcome of such an occurrence at Albert Park with the crowd - standing, in stands or in corporate tents - crammed so close to the track.
And that is the nub of it. During the inquest, the GPC's counsel, Ross Ray, QC, was quick to accuse counsel assisting the Coroner, Jim Kennan, QC, of leading a witness, a race marshal, when Kennan questioned the man about general aspects of track safety, Kennan responded by acknowledging Ray's sensitivity on the issue. The Corporation's fear is that the track will be exposed as not only as outside FIA safety guidelines but unfit for racing.
The coronial enquiry has opened a can of worms for the organisers of the Grand Prix. They will need to exert all of their celebrated influence around town to put the wrigglers back. But the grandees from the Geneva offices of the FIA, who have shown a marked reluctance to have anything to do with the Melbourne proceedings, will be having a good hard look at the Coroner's final words.
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