With F1 fuel tanks more than doubling in size this season following the ban on refuelling, the FIA Institute has developed a new frontal impact crash test to ensure the extra weight does not impinge on safety.

The FIA Institute has developed a new frontal impact test to accommodate changes to the design of fuel tanks in Formula One cars for the 2010 season.

With the introduction of a ban on refuelling during races Formula One teams have had to increase the size of their fuel tanks so that they are now capable of holding around 230 litres of fuel instead of 100 litres previously.

The increase in the amount of fuel means that in the event of a head-on impact far greater forces will be experienced through the chassis than in recent seasons.

The FIA Institute devised a new test to assess the strength of the chassis and the seat back bulkhead and evaluate whether they could handle the force of a full fuel load during a heavy frontal impact.

When considering the new testing criteria the primary objective was to ensure that the 2010 cars conformed to at least the same safety standards as the 2009 cars.

In addition to meeting the 2009 technical regulation requirements there was a target to raise overall performance to meet limits of bigger crashes - similar to the accident that Michael Schumacher suffered at Silverstone in 1999.

The improved test includes an array of crush tubes that are designed to simulate the progressive forces experienced by the car during a heavy impact.

During the test the crush tubes produce a combined force of 36 tons into the chassis and trolley that generates a nominal acceleration of 40g.

To achieve an increase in the test performance, water is used in the fuel tank as it is denser than fuel and produces an elevated equivalent acceleration of almost 60g.

A recent validation test using the crush tubes successfully showed that a 2010 chassis and seat back bulkhead could cope with the 40g acceleration with a full fuel tank.

The new test also achieved its additional target by surpassing the standards of 2009 safety parameters.