Formula One (F1) is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and vehicles must conform. The F1 World Championship season consists of a series of races, known as , held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors.

Safety standards have improved since the first World Championship Grand Prix at Silverstone in , where there was no medical back-up nor safety measures in case of an accident. Helmets were not made mandatory until , though these were simple cork-lined helmets with no visors. It was not until the 1960s that robust full-visor helmets were made mandatory, along with fireproof overalls, and the FIA assumed responsibility for safety at the circuits. Steps were taken to improve the safety of the Formula One car in the 1970s; the cockpit opening was enlarged allowing the driver to escape more quickly in the event of an accident and outside mirrors became mandatory. The 1980s saw further improvement in the structure of the Formula One car, with the monocoque being made out of carbon fibre instead of aluminium, increasing protection upon impact. Following the death of Ayrton Senna in , a number of measures were introduced in an attempt to slow the cars down, including bodywork aerodynamic limitations, a pit lane speed limit and temporary circuit modifications such as extra chicanes. Grooved tyres were introduced in instead of racing slick tyres to reduce cornering speed. Safety measures continued to be introduced into the 21st century, with a number of circuits having their configuration changed to improve driver safety.

This list includes drivers who have died during a FIA World Championship event (including practice, qualifying and the race), and those who have died while driving modern or vintage Formula One cars outside the World Championship. Track marshals and other race attendees who have died as a result of these accidents are not included in the list. Fifty-two drivers have died from incidents that occurred at a FIA World Championship event or while driving a Formula One car at another event, with Cameron Earl being the first in . Thirty-three of the drivers died from incidents during Grand Prix race weekends which formed part of the World Championship, six died during test sessions, and thirteen driving Formula One cars during non-championship Formula One weekends or vintage/historic events. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has seen the most fatalities; seven drivers have died there during the time that the Indianapolis 500 formed part of the world championship, though the Indianapolis 500 was held to AAA regulations rather than Formula One regulations. Fifteen drivers died in the 1950s; fourteen in the 1960s; twelve in the 1970s; four in the 1980s and two in the 1990s. Following the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola on consecutive days in , no driver died during world championship events for more than 20 years until Jules Bianchi's death in 2015, from injuries sustained during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Three drivers died in the intervening years while driving former Formula One cars (two from the 1960s, one from the 1990s) in vintage racing and other events not associated with World Championship . Two Formula One Champions have died while racing or practising in Formula One, Jochen Rindt in , and Senna in 1994. Rindt was not a champion at the time of his death, but won the 1970 championship posthumously, the only driver to have done so.

Fatalities Detail by driver Indicates event was not part of the Formula One World Championship, such as official non-championship Formula One events and unassociated events using vintage Formula One cars. Indicates test drive of a Formula One car that was not part of any competitive event.# Indicates driver drove a Formula Two car.

+Fatalities by name Driver Date of accident Age Event Circuit Car Session 29 Test MIRA ERA Test 50 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Kurtis Kraft Practice 26Modena Grand Prix Ferrari Tipo 500 Practice 30 German Grand Prix Nürburgring Maserati 250F Practice 26Pau Grand Prix Circuit de Pau-Ville Maserati 4CLT Race 33 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Kurtis Kraft Practice 36 Race 26 Test Ferrari 801 Test 36 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Kurtis Kraft Practice 29 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Kurtis Kraft Race 33 French Grand Prix Circuit de Reims-Gueux Ferrari 246 F1 Race 26 German Grand Prix Nürburgring Ferrari 246 F1 Race 28 Moroccan Grand Prix Circuit d'Ain-Diab Vanwall Race 26 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Kuzma Practice 32 Cornis 38BRDC International Trophy Silverstone Circuit Cooper T51 Practice 22 Belgian Grand Prix Cooper T51 Race 26 Lotus 18 24Silver City Trophy Brands Hatch Cooper Practice 38 Test Cooper T51 Test 33 Italian Grand Prix Ferrari 156 F1 Race 20Mexican Grand Prix Lotus 24 Practice 25Natal Grand Prix Westmead Circuit Lotus 24 Practice 30 German Grand Prix Nürburgring Porsche 718 Practice 33 German Grand Prix Nürburgring Brabham BT11 Race 31 Monaco Grand Prix Ferrari 312 Race 36 Test Silverstone Circuit Brabham BT11 Test 40 French Grand Prix Circuit de Rouen-les-Essarts Honda RA302 Race # 33 German Grand Prix Nürburgring BMW 269 Practice 37Nottingham Sports Car Club meeting Silverstone Circuit Cooper T86B Race 28 Dutch Grand Prix De Tomaso 505/38 Race 28 Italian Grand Prix Lotus 72 Qualifying 35World Championship Victory Race Brands Hatch BRM P160 Race 25 Dutch Grand Prix March 731 Race 29 United States Grand Prix Watkins Glen International Tyrrell 006 Qualifying 35 South African Grand Prix Kyalami Racing Circuit Shadow DN3 Test 25 United States Grand Prix Watkins Glen International Surtees TS16 Race 38 Austrian Grand Prix March 751 Practice 27 South African Grand Prix Kyalami Racing Circuit Shadow DN8 Race 31Shellsport International Series Round 11 Brands Hatch McGuire BM1 Practice 34 Italian Grand Prix Lotus 78 Race 35 Test Hockenheimring Alfa Romeo 179 Test 32 Belgian Grand Prix Ferrari 126C2 Qualifying 23 Canadian Grand Prix Osella FA1C Race 28 Test Brabham BT55 Test 33 San Marino Grand Prix Simtek S941 Qualifying 34 Williams FW16 Race 59Goodwood Festival of Speed Goodwood Hillclimb Lotus 63 Run 58Czech Superprix Footwork FA17 Race 69Jack Brabham Memorial Trophy Silverstone Circuit Lotus 18 Race 25 Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka International Racing Course Marussia MR03 Race 62Historic Grand Prix March 701 Race

By type of event +Fatalities by type of event Event Fatalities First Last World Championship 33 1953 2014 Testing 6 1952 1986 Non-Championship & other 13 1955 2017Total521952 2017

By nationality +Fatalities by Nationality Nationality Total First Last 14 1952 2014 10 1953 1975 7 1955 1986 5 1968 2017 4 1970 2002 2 1961 1969 1 1954 1977 1953 1994 1982 1962 1964 1962 1978 1971Total for 16 nationalities521952 2017

By circuit +Fatalities by Circuit Circuit Total First Last 7 1953 1959 5 1954 1969 4 1960 2014 3 1953 1961 1961 1977 1961 1978 1970 2017 2 1960 1973 1974 1974 1977 1994 1 1952 1955 1958 1958 1962 1962 1967 1968 1975 1980 1982 1982 1986 2000 2002 2014Total for 27 circuits521952 2017

By decade +Fatalities by DecadeDecadeTotal First Last1950s15195219591960s14196019691970s12197019781980s4198019861990s2199419942000s2200020022010s3201420172020s0-Total5219522017

Notes

References

External links Formula One official website FIA official website