Formula 1 cars are incredibly safe nowadays, but prior to the advances in safety made through the 1990s and early 2000s, the cars would often be incredibly dangerous.
The death toll through the 1960s and 1970s was high, which is what led to figureheads such as Jackie Stewart to campaign for greater safety systems in the cars.
While inroads were made, it wasn’t until the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna in 1994 that things changed, and a scientific approach was made to improve overall safety.
Martin Brundle, who now holds a successful career as a commentator and broadcaster in F1, was racing during that particularly dangerous period as the cars got faster and more powerful.
Recalling one crash at the 1985 San Marino Grand Prix, he discussed how a brake failure led to a big crash at the Imola circuit just a few years before Senna and Ratzenburger’s deaths.
Martin Brundle recalls a scary accident after brake pads ‘fell out’ of his Tyrrell
Brundle had his F1 debut with Tyrrell in 1984, although he was stripped of all his results after the team was disqualified for a technical infringement relating to using an illegal water system to put them above the minimum weight regulation.
Things did not improve in 1985, as Tyrrell continued to run the 012 at the start of the season, yielding mixed results for the team. At the race in Imola, Brundle was attempting to qualify inside the top ten when he lost control of his car and crashed into the barriers at high speed.
A video of the crash shows smoke pouring out of the wheels of the Tyrrell 012 and the car skating across the gravel, heading nose-first into the tyre barriers. Recalling the incident on social media website X (formerly Twitter), Brundle explains what happened and how they managed to figure it out with the help of fans in the grandstands.
“The rear brake pads came loose and fell out on the straight during a full tank of fuel run. A fan saw one bounce down the track and handed it to the team later that day when Ken Tyrrell and others went searching for it to establish what happened,” said Brundle.
“Fuel tank positioned just behind me tried to join me in the cockpit on impact, wrecked my back and shoulder for ages. I raced the car later that day with no problems. Different days.”
What happened to Martin Brundle at the 1985 San Marino Grand Prix?
Despite qualifying in 25th place behind teammate Stefan Bellof for the race, Brundle would go on to finish in ninth place following a series of mechanical errors for several drivers.
It would be one of the last races for the Tyrrell 012 before it was replaced by the 014 later in the season, although Tyrrell would suffer more heartbreak.
Bellof would not complete the season after being killed during a sports car race at Spa Francorchamps in the days after the Dutch GP in 1985.
It would mark a turning point for teams that let drivers race and take part in activities outside of F1, with many reluctant due to fears that a similar fate could happen. Tyrrell finished the year 10th in the Constructors’ Championship after a fourth place for Ivan Capelli at the final round in Australia.