The FIA intentionally set this man on fire. Here’s why.
The Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (or FIA for short) is the governing body for the world’s largest motorsports including Formula One, World Endurance Championship and World Rally Championship. Earlier this year, the FIA formerly announced a new Protective Clothing Standard (8856-2018) that all drivers in the aforementioned race series must comply with.
The FIA testing its latest protective clothing standards, which stipulate that from 2020, race suits must be able to withstand direct flame for at least 12 seconds. from r/formula1
One of the major highlights of this new standard is a new Heat Transmission Protection (or HTI) rating for the race suit itself. Also, underwear, socks, balaclava, and shoes must conform to an HTI standard. Previously, the latter undergarments only had to conform to a density requirement, which naturally evolved into drivers choosing materials for comfort and not so much for protection.
According to Science Direct, “a Heat Transfer Index is the time, in seconds, it takes for the temperature in the calorimeter to rise 24 ± 0.2 °C (that’s 75F) is recorded. The mean result for three test specimens is calculated as the Heat Transfer Index (HTI). “
Other noteworthy improvements to the FIA standard include an expiration date on safety equipment of 10 years.
The actual standard for safety equipment is 22-pages long.
What this man on fire is testing is a race suit’s overall HTI rating, increased from an average of 11 seconds to a minimum of 12 seconds.
Testing is important to verify how realistic a person will react when their suit is on fire and how easily they can move about. You can have the most fire retardant suit in the world but, if you can’t move around freely enough, it’s no good.
An HTI of 12 seconds is on the lighter side as far as standards in motorsports go. NHRA drag racers have suits rated for over three times the FIA’s goal time of 12 seconds. Because most top-end drag racers use Nitromethane, a thicker, and more durable suit is required.
While FIA could increase HTI standards for their clothing, they must meet a healthy balance between clothing comfort for long driving stints and protection. Too protective and cumbersome and drivers will overheat themselves. Too thin and there’s no real protection.
Whatever they’re paying this FIA human guinea pig, it’s probably not enough.
