FIA reveal changes to improve Formula E driver safety after rise of hand injuries

The FIA has delved into the steps it has taken to improve Formula E driver safety after a large number of hand injuries across the latest Gen3 era. 

In the last two years Robin Frijns (Envision) and Sam Bird (McLaren) have broken their hand and both recently revealed how the steering wheel played a key role in causing their injuries.

That was during a short film recently released by the FIA, where it details the changes it has made in collaboration with Spark Racing Technology to improve safety across the past season. 

“I realised that we have these hand fractures which are not usual,” said the FIA’s medical delegate Bruno Franceschini in the ‘Adopting a Hands On Approach to Driver Safety’ documentary. 

“I know the drivers very well and I had feedback from them, and looking at what they are saying to me, and the feeling they have in the car, I spoke with the [FIA’s] safety department telling them there is something to do.”

That included modifying the shape of the steering wheel, adding foam patches to the side of the cockpit, changing the front wing’s design to further protect the wheels, and adding a new steering damper. 

Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

It came after the FIA discovered that incidents to the front-end of the car caused the steering wheel to rotate up to 10 times faster than usual, resulting in the rise of hand injuries. 

The steering damper, which was introduced for the recent 2024-25 campaign, helps to absorb energy from accidents and reduces the peak rotational speed of the steering wheel by as much as 40%. There have been no more hand injuries since its implementation. 

“The FIA took note and have gone above and beyond in order to ensure that these kind of crashes and these things don’t happen anymore,” said Bird.

‘Adopting a Hands On Approach to Driver Safety’ is available on the FIA’s YouTube channel and features interviews from several personnel behind the development.