Formula One unveils new driver's seat

   Copyright c 1998 Nando Media
   Copyright c 1998 Reuters

SUZUKA, Japan (Oct 30, 1998 - 13:14 EST) - The International Automobile
Federation (FIA) on Friday unveiled a new extractable seat to protect
Formula One drivers from injuries.

The removable seat, jointly developed by the FIA, Stewart Grand Prix's
technical director Alan Jenkins and automotive supplier Lear Corporation,
allows the medical crew to remove an incapacitated driver from the cockpit
thus minimising the drivers risk of spinal injury.

The seats, which immobilises the head and body of the driver, can also be
used to keep the driver secured while being transported to the infield or a
hospital.

"Formula One has taken several huge steps in terms of safety in the
last five years, particularly since the death of Ayrton Senna in
1994," said Sid Watkins, president of the FIA Medical Commission.

"I think this seat is the next enormous step in terms of something
that's directly applied to the driver rather than the car."

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