John Lockwood - Composites Design Engineer
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John Lockwood
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What were the main difficulties you encountered during the development of the HANS device at Renault?
JL: When we received the first devices as used in the USA, we realised that the best option would be to produce the HANS ourselves. In NASCAR racing, where the system was already in use, the driving position is quite different from the demands of Formula 1. The shoulder straps needed significant work to adapt them to F1.
Is it a FIA system or a Renault F1 Team system you use?
JL: The design and production of the HANS devices used by the team are carried out 100% in-house at Renault based on a brief laid down by the FIA which dictates a dimension for the collar, the shoulder straps and the location of the helmet-tether anchorage points.What budget do you have for the project?
JL: I don't have any budget restrictions. Driver safety is something we take very seriously.Is HANS a priority at Renault?
JL: It is, and for two reasons. First of all, safety is a key issue within Renault. It's a domain in which the company excels with its production cars. Indeed, an engineer responsible for production vehicle crash tests works with us at Enstone. Last winter, we were also able to use Renault's facilities at Lardy to test the HANS using a 2001 chassis and a dummy in frontal impact simulation tests and this work will continue in 2003 with the side impact crash tests. The second reason is based on the simple observation that a driver who doesn't feel totally comfortable in the car can cost you some tenths of a second every lap. There would be no point in investing in the very latest technical developments if you lost all the benefit of that work on the track.Have you had to adapt the car in any way to run the HANS device?
JL: The bucket seat is different and we have also had to modify the R23 monocoque and driver headrest to make the system both functional and comfortable. The shoulders of the drivers' race-suits have been modified this year, and some padding has been added to protect the collar bones.Is the system expected to evolve at all?
JL: We have been looking at the HANS system's weight and a 50% lighter version will be available in a few weeks' time.
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