How Jackie Stewart putting a wrench on the steering wheel made F1 safer

Jackie Stewart is fondly remembered as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, having won three F1 world titles. However, his contributions to motorsports extend far beyond his brilliant drives to championships in 1969, 1971 and 1973. He was a leading advocate for driver safety at a time when racing was considered a “die-forward”, one in which only the best made it out alive.

Modern F1 cars are marvels of engineering: fast, packed with technology and surprisingly safe for machines that regularly reach up to 200 miles per hour. However, F1 cars were not always like this. During the 1960s and 1970s, they were often death traps: 29 drivers lost their lives in the 1960s and 18 more in the following decade. The numbers declined in the years and decades that followed, and Stewart played a major role in this; His own terrifying experience resulted in a push for reforms and created a pivotal era in F1 safety.

The life-threatening incident occurred at the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix, a year after his F1 debut, where his BRM car, at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, left the track during a storm. His car crashed into a cabin and a pole, turning turtle and Stewart was trapped in the cabin against the steering wheel. With no marshals around and a cabin full of fuel, Stewart’s teammate Graham Hill and racing partner Bob Bondurant did their best to pull him from the wreckage, but they didn’t have the tools to free him. They eventually found a wrench from a ventilator, unscrewed the steering wheel and helped get Stewart out before taking him to the hospital. The incident led Stewart to carry a wrench and tape it to the steering wheel, a small but significant step toward improving safety.

The accident, which left Jackie Stewart with a broken collarbone, was the final straw for the Scot, who was fed up with lax safety regulations in F1 and disenchanted with the sport following the deaths of several fellow drivers. Following his return to the grid, Stewart, in addition to strapping tools to his car, ensured that a doctor was present at every race, which was not the norm at the time. His team owner at BRM, Louis Stanley, also introduced a state-of-the-art medical truck called the Grand Prix Medical Service (GPMS), which was equipped for on-site emergency response. However, the GPMS faced resistance from promoters and circuit officials, who considered it unnecessary, even as drivers welcomed its introduction.

Stewart also advocated the use of seat belts, which only became mandatory in F1 in 1972. The Scottish legend also advocated for better infrastructure at circuits, particularly longer exit areas and safety barriers. Several track owners were reluctant to make the changes due to the costs involved, which even led F1 drivers, under Stewart’s leadership, to boycott racing. These included the 1969 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, which did not have the requested protective barriers; the famous Nürburgring of 1970, which Stewart had nicknamed the “Green Hell” due to the numerous deaths it had seen, and which was eventually replaced by the Hockenheimring that year; and the 1972 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Drivers should have a say in safety, and tracks finally implemented the changes Stewart and his colleagues had requested. With the introduction of numerous safety devices (including the HANS device, detachable steering wheels, improved helmets and fireproof suits, to name a few), as well as major structural changes to F1 cars, driver fatalities decreased in the 1980s and 1990s.

Despite his good intentions, Jackie Stewart’s desire for safer cars and tracks, that didn’t keep killing his friends, was disparaged by many in motorsports circles. During his time in F1, there was a 50 percent risk of death as a racing driver. Stewart’s crusade to make F1 safer resulted in him receiving death threats, and many in the media, he said, accused him of taking the “romance” out of F1 and even called him a coward.

The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), created in 1961 as an F1 drivers’ union, had fought for better safety standards. However, it faced criticism from some journalists, who argued that the drivers’ boycott of the races was a result of the GPDA having “too much power”. Stewart responded to criticism directed at him, arguing that he was only seeking to elevate the sport. Even after retiring from F1 in 1973 (the season in which he won his third and final world title), Stewart continued to advocate for driver safety as director of the GPDA, and is pleased with how safe F1 cars have become since he last competed in the sport.