FIA: F1's next safety push is 'biometrics'

Jun.7 - The next step in safety for formula one will be biometrics, the FIA has revealed.

In the latest edition of the governing body's in-house magazine Auto, the FIA released some of the findings from the crash suffered by Fernando Alonso in Melbourne, based upon the new-in-2016 high speed cameras.

That camera showed that the Spaniard's helmet impacted the cockpit sides twice during the crash, tying in with similar data recorded by his in-ear accelerometer.

"The next step is biometrics -- gathering data from drivers such as heart rate, body heat and even sweat levels," the FIA's research chief Laurent Mekies said.

"I hope that we will be able to put something on a driver before the end of the season, at least in a test," he added.

The biometrics will be in addition to the new 'halo' cockpit protection for 2017, and plans for more driver-facing cameras to gather and compare data prior, during and after crashes.

"You could imagine a million things tomorrow -- you could imagine us trying to estimate the loads on the actual upper body of the drivers through the safety belts, for instance," Mekies added.

"It is something that will never stop as much as safety research will never stop and we will continue to push the boundaries to gain a deeper understanding."

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