F1 | Mansell has no doubts: “Risk has been abolished in Formula 1”

In a chat given to the microphones of the Daily Mail, Nigel Mansell expressed an assessment of modern Formula 1, underlining how risk and danger have been completely abolished compared to the past.

According to the “Leo”, the formula 1 it improved safety enormously, especially on the circuits, but this generated a transformation that changed the sport of the time into something totally different and less extreme from a physical point of view.

“In the 80s and 90s, our sport was very dangerous,” said Nigel Mansell. “If you didn't lose your life, the physical and even mental repercussions could be particularly serious. The barriers adjacent to the perimeter of the track were very close to the asphalt, escape routes were minimal. So there was no margin for error.”

“Ayrton Senna's death was a catastrophic day for motorsport, it changed it forever,” continued the Englishman. “It changed it in many aspects in a positive sense, while in others in a negative way. For example, he completely distorted all the circuits. It was a mistake because Formula 1 was a crazy sport, where you were rewarded if you drove well and didn't forgive you if you made a mistake."

“You were always on the limit and couldn't take a bend at 320km/h if you didn't have the right skills. Now everything has changed. It almost seems like a different category compared to what it was thirty years ago,” he concluded.