Ralf Schumacher to be first F1 driver to wear glasses
Ralf Schumacher says he will be the first Formula One driver to wear glasses.
It comes just a week after he crashed into a queue of cars on a motorway.
The 26-year-old younger brother of four-times world champion Michael says he is short-sighted.
He is to put vanity aside and settle for glasses rather than contact lenses.
He has already made one public appearance wearing glasses and has ordered his team to get him some properly-made racing goggles.
He told German tabloid Bild: "Yes, I decided to test some glasses in the car. I am slightly short-sighted, one and 1.75 dioptres. That's not much but the glasses could help in a race."
A week ago the race ace smashed his and three other cars when he caused a pile up on a motorway, ploughing into the back of a queue of cars after failing to stop in time.
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Maybe his Mum should've tied his hands to the bedposts when he was young.
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I would have thought it was mandatory for F1 drivers (any race driver, for that matter) to have an incredibly stringent eye-test, similar to pilots etc.
But, on an historic note, didn't Larry Perkins, the Australian who raced for BRM back in the 70s, wear specs?
C'Mon F1 buffs, dig out the dusty old books!
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ian (cape town) wrote:
>
> I would have thought it was mandatory for F1 drivers (any
> race driver, for that matter) to have an incredibly stringent
> eye-test, similar to pilots etc.
> But, on an historic note, didn't Larry Perkins, the
> Australian who raced for BRM back in the 70s, wear specs?
> C'Mon F1 buffs, dig out the dusty old books!
Jeeze Ian! Anne RObinson couldn't find much to critizise about you!
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Dave, It's only that I recall the particular race and driver - as a few weeks ago we were bemoaning the sad fate of BRM racing.
Perkins finished about 6 laps BEHIND the second last driver ... and as he was on his own for so much of the early stages, from our vantage point we could here him changing down where all the other drivers just stayed in gear on a particularly tricky bit.
The two just leapt into my mind when I saw the glasses story!
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aHA!
Found it!
www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-perlar.html
Name: Larry Perkins
Nationality: Australia
Date of birth: Mar 18, 1950 - Murrayville, Victoria
A bespectacled Australian who made his name in Europe with some heady performances in Ralt Formula 3 machinery. He subsequently displayed credible Formula 1 form in a private Ensign and then in the works Brabham-Alfa team during the second half of the 1976 season before any further career progress was stopped in a disastrous partnership with the fast fading BRM team the following year, later switching to Surtees.
(I REMEMBER THAT BIG BRM BEAST STRUGGLING AT KYALAMI'S ALTITUDE IN 1977 - ICT)
He returned to Australia, winning its 1979 Formula 5000 Championship before starting a long and distinguished saloon car racing career during which he has won the epic Bathurst classic on no fewer than six occasions.
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The eyesight requirement to obtain a racing licence for the UK is that vision should be 6/9 or better in both eyes. It does not matter if you need glasses or contact lenses to achieve this. You also need to have standard colour vision.
I presume that this would be the same for international racing but cannot confirm this as I only have the UK rule book (blue book)
Jacques Villenueve wears contact lenses to race in.
A few Champ Car (Cart) drivers wear glasses as well.
Andy
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Harold Daniell was turned down as dispatch rider because he wore glasses - to do the first 90mph lap in the Island, among other things!
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err isn't that prescription a bit strong to suddenly think wearing glasses would be a good idea?
i thought anything worse than 0.5 in this country and you're required to wear correction, and if you should crash when not wearing correction you'd be a bit stuffed.
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How does wearing glasses stop you getting injured in a crash?
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i meant "stuffed" in the legal context of the word. say you hit a kid and it's investigated and discovered you should have been wearing glasses........
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I would imagine contact lenses are a bad idea - especially with those G Forces.
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Jacques Villeneuve wears glasses. Maston Gregory wore glasses.
HJ
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I wear both contact lenses and glasses, and I think contact lenses could be quite bad, it they dry out [very humid conditions sometimes] they become irritated, and very annoying.
Dont see why drivers shouldn't wear them
Egar Davids [Juventus footballer wears them] So if a footballer can, racing drivers can.
I wonder why they dont get laser eye treatment, surely they can afford it.
Kev
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footballers dont experience up to 6g when cornering !
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How does that make it dangerous to wear glasses/contact lenses. Am I missing something?
Should I ask my dad not to put high g's in his Mondeo?
Kev
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Wearing soft contact lenses does not cause a problem. In my case they are a lot more practical/comfortable that trying to wear glassses inside a crash helmet. They also have the advantages of not steaming up or getting covered with raindrops.
Someone mentioned racing drivers having laser eye surgery. This is still a relatively new treatment and like anything there is an element of risk. I have looked into this and had a few consultations but feel at this point it is wise to stick to contact lenses and/or glasses.
Is Ralph admitting that he has raced with dodgy eyesight?
Andy
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