Editing History of Formula One (section)

=== Safety, rules, and regulations (1994) ===
:''See [[1994 Formula One season|1994 season]].''
[[File:Benetton B 194 4841.JPG|thumb|The [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]] [[Benetton B194|B194]] [[Michael Schumacher]] drove to the {{f1|1994}} title]]
By {{F1|1994}}, the previous death in Formula One was nearly a decade past, that of [[Elio de Angelis]] during testing at the [[Circuit Paul Ricard]] in 1986. There had been several horrifying accidents (for example Nelson Piquet and Gerhard Berger at [[Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari|Imola]], or [[Martin Donnelly (racing driver)|Martin Donnelly]] at [[Circuito Permanente de Jerez|Jerez]]), but no fatalities. The speed of Formula One cars had continuously risen over 8 years, despite turbocharged engines being made illegal, the width of tyres being reduced and driver aids eventually being removed. There was an "air of invincibility" in Formula One, a belief that the cars were inherently safe and no more drivers would die.<ref name="damonhill">{{cite news | first = Damon | last = Hill | title = Had Ayrton foreseen his death? | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12771-1077121,00.html | archive-url = https://archive.today/20110604115950/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12771-1077121,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 4 June 2011 | work = The Times | publisher = News International | date = 17 April 2004 | access-date = 2006-10-28 | location=London}}</ref>

At the [[1994 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]] weekend this belief was crushed completely with the serious injuries sustained by [[Rubens Barrichello]] in practice and the deaths of [[Roland Ratzenberger]] during qualifying and [[Ayrton Senna]] in the race on 1 May 1994.<ref name="BBConthisday">{{cite news | title = Race ace Senna killed in car crash | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/1/newsid_2479000/2479971.stm | publisher = BBC News | date = 1 May 1994 | access-date = 2006-10-28}}</ref> Furthermore, [[Karl Wendlinger]] was left comatose after a crash two weeks later at the [[1994 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Hamilton | first = Maurice | title = Frank Williams | year = 1998 | publisher = Macmillan | isbn = 0-333-71716-3 | page = 241}}</ref> The shock from the sudden injuries and deaths was stunning. Not only had two drivers been killed, but one of them was a triple world champion and arguably the best F1 driver at the time. The [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] reacted swiftly and harshly with major changes to be enforced from that year onwards, and it was the beginning of the FIA's push to increase safety in Formula One.

While significant changes could not be made to cars in 1994, the FIA required all Formula One cars' airboxes to be perforated to reduce their "ram-air" effect, to reduce power. For the same reason special racing fuels, previously an exotic mixture of benzenes and toluenes, were banned and only those with similar characteristics to everyday unleaded petrol would be permitted. To reduce downforce, and therefore the cornering speed of the cars, a wooden "plank" was to be fitted beneath the central portion of the chassis, forcing a large section of the floor further away from the track. If the plank was worn over a certain tolerance (approximately 10&nbsp;mm), the car would be deemed illegal. This wooden plank remains under F1 cars today.

Further, from 1995 designs were required to be drawn from a reference plane (template), and strict limitations were enforced as to the minimum and maximum tolerances for aspects of the vehicle such as the size of the cockpit opening (an idea well known in [[Champ Car]] for a decade) and of aerodynamic devices, commonly called wings. Further, maximum engine displacement was reduced from 3.5 to 3 litres. Further changes were mandated as the FIA continued to try to curb the increase in speeds of Formula One cars as the years progressed. These changes included the increase in the size of the cockpit opening (to ensure driver egress was easy and to minimise possible side head impacts), introducing grooved tyres (to reduce cornering speeds by reducing grip) and narrower bodywork (this would complicate cooling and also reduce cornering speed), raising and reducing wing sizes and elements (cutting aerodynamic downforce, thus reducing cornering speed), and introducing comprehensive checks on stiffness tolerances and measurements to ensure cars conformed completely with the regulations (for example, weight tests on wings and bodywork to ensure that they maintained integrity and did not flex to give an aerodynamic advantage in a straight line).

The rapid introduction of all of these new rules and regulations, particularly those introduced in {{F1|1994}}, made the atmosphere even more chaotic for Formula One. Michael Schumacher had to fight desperately for his first World Drivers' Championship, as his Benetton team found itself in frequent violations of FIA regulations and Schumacher was suspended for two races as a result. Even his championship-clinching race in Australia was controversial, as he collided with rival [[Damon Hill]] (son of Graham) and ensured himself of the title.