An insight into the history of GPDA
What is GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Association) and why is it such an invisible yet crucial part of the Formula 1 circus?
Grand Prix Drivers’ Association is an international union of Formula 1 drivers whose main objective is to keep improving safety standards. Membership in GPDA is not compulsory (but it is believed that all drivers are members), and the joining fee is £2000. Every member has to attend a 20-minutes meeting before every single Grand Prix. Since 1996, GPDA has had its permanent headquarters in Monaco. Four directors are in charge of the association: Alex Wurz, Anastasia Fowle as a legal adviser (who is also the first non-F1 driver person in this role), and two active drivers: Sebastian Vettel and George Russell (who replaced the retired Romain Grosjean).
GPDA first saw the light of day in May 1961, with Stirling Moss being elected as inaugural chairman. Its main aim was to increase the safety of races. Jackie Stewart was the one heavily campaigning for the improvement of safety and thanks to him, GPDA became such an influential union. During the 1963 season, fireproof overalls, helmets, and a flag scheme got introduced. As a result of Jochen Rindt’s death in 1970, each track has to get approved by FIA stewards before Formula 1 can race there. However, not all organizers followed the rules back in the day. Several drivers hesitated to compete in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix due to safety concerns. But when the organizers threatened to confiscate the cars, only Emerson Fittipaldi was not seen on the grid. The race ended abruptly after not even 30 laps as Rolf Stommelen’s crash killed five bystanders. This was also the race where Lella Lombardi scored half a point and is still the only woman to score in a Formula 1 race. When a horrific crash of Niki Lauda occurred at Nürburgring just a year later, GPDA did not shy away from boycotting races on this circuit. As a result, FIA decided to cross Nürburgring off the calendar. However, the incompetency of marshals was still a significant issue. The high amount of deaths and injuries of involved led to the presence of a medical team on a track as well as a helicopter.
The association disbanded in 1982 due to the sport’s changing commercial arrangements and the conflict between the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) and FIA. GPDA was replaced by the so-called Professional Racing Drivers Association, which ought to represent all drivers in motorpsort. It only took twelve years, and GPDA got re-established during Monaco Grand Prix in 1994, thanks to the work of Lauda, Schumacher, Berger, and Christian Fittipaldi. But the idea of bringing the once working organisation back from the grave already started during the infamous San Marino Grand Prix in the same year. Ayrton Senna initiated the restoration of the late Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and even offered to be its chairman. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to witness the revival of GPDA, as the race in Imola was his last. Michael Schumacher was the one to take the spot as director of the association.
GPDA had to deal with several problems also in modern times. The most notorious was the controversy surrounding the 2005 American Grand Prix. At that time, there were two providers of tyres: Michelin and Bridgestone. Due to many Michelin’s tyre failures throughout the weekend, cars who competed with the French brand decided to withdraw. Therefore, only six cars were preprared to race. As a result of many tyre blow-ups during the 2013 British Grand Prix, the drivers announced their interest to boycott the following German Grand Prix unless the tyre issue was solved. 2015 was a turning point for GPDA, which swore to do everything possible to increase safety, so no similar incident to Jules Bianchi’s would ever happen. The result of their work is known as halo that proved several times to be the breakthrough in safety. A year later, the drivers via GPDA directors at the time, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, and Alex Wurz, wrote a letter to the top dogs of Formula 1, Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone. The main topic of the letter was the brand new qualifying format (that ended up in a disaster) and Formula 1 being broadcasted by paid TV stations only. Decisions made by Todt and Ecclestone were called “obsolete” and “ill-structured” and could potentially “jeopardise F1’s future success”. In the end, things returned back to normal.
The most recent event where we could see the work of GPDA was two weeks ago during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. After a second free practice, the GPDA hauled an emergency meeting with the head of Formula 1 as well as the FIA concerning the missile attack only a few kilometres away from the circuit. The gathering itself went on for more than four hours, and according to Pierre Gasly, “Everyone was able to give their opinion.” In a statement made by FIA, Formula 1, and GPDA, everybody was assured that the track conditions were safe and, therefore, eligible to host a race. There were rumours that representatives of Saudi Arabia threatened to not allow drivers who would withdraw to leave the country. But this is a topic for a different discussion.
Grand Prix Drivers’ Association might be an overlooked segment of the Formula 1 world most of the time; however, it is a vital part with a long history. Without it, F1 would not be this safe as we can see it now.
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