FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[bud]

reminds me of the 3 stooges "not a can of pees a canopees"

[f1usa]

In this debate about canopies, why does a spring from Reuben's car get on track and how it's related to rear-wing failure. Is it just me thinking this, or could it be an adjustable rear-wing at high speeds to reduce drag.

[bud]

it was a damper from the rear suspension.

[McLaren Fan]

From F1 Live:

Ross Brawn has admitted there are measures possible to further protect the exposed heads of Formula One drivers but warns that the sport needs to examine the recent incidents carefully before drawing conclusions.

Following the recent death caused by debris striking the helmets of Henry Surtees (F2) and injuries sustained by Felipe Massa, F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has commissioned Professor Sid Watkins to investigate possible reactions to the situation. Since stepping down as F1's long time travelling doctor in 2005, Watkins is now president of the FIA institute for motor sport safety.

It was the 800 gram damper spring that came loose from the rear suspension of Rubens Barrichello's Brawn four seconds before it struck Massa on the front of his carbon-fibre Schuberth helmet.

Barrichello's team boss Ross Brawn, head of the technical committee of the Formula One Teams' Association, told reporters late Saturday that there are things that can be done to try to prevent repeats of the Surtees and Massa accidents.

"There are - but we need to keep perspective on this," said the Briton. "From what's been seen last weekend and this weekend we need to have a proper study and see if something needs to be done."

It is said that despite the huge advances in Formula One safety since the last fatalities in 1994, it is the open-nature of the cockpits that expose the greatest risk to the drivers.

It has been suggested in the past that cages or enclosed cockpits may be one remedy, especially now that the risk of a driver needing to quickly escape in the event of a fire is reduced.

"You can have covers and you can have canopies, but you also have to be able to get at a driver to extract him. You don't want a structure that collapses down on a driver. There are a lot of secondary considerations," Brawn said.

He also warned against knee-jerk reactions, choosing to see the proximity of the Surtees and Massa crashes as freak coincidence rather than the beginning of a trend.

"In the history of F1 this is a rare occurrence. The sides are very high now and we have all the headrests, so it's pretty rare, but we have to look at it seriously and see if there is something we can do," he said.

Brawn believes it is the advances in helmet technology, with Massa's Schuberth model made of carbon fibre and the visor bullet-proof, that prevented the impact causing greater injury on Saturday.

"As you know the helmets have been improved quite a lot over the last few years," he said. "So the work that's been done there is a great credit to the people who initiated that and pushed it through."

E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM

[richindarlo]

should we not also consider that a metal object traveling at them speeds colliding with a car traveling at almost 200mph would go through a window anyway.
we need to remember that these freak incidents are rare and unfortunately part of the risk the drivers and teams take every week. had that spring gone into the crowd would be be assessing taking the crowd away at races?

[headless]

Alonos's wheel going off today had me going for a splt second, becuase it wet backwards before it went forwards.

[Denthúl]

Alonos's wheel going off today had me going for a splt second, becuase it wet backwards before it went forwards.

Yeah, it was worrying.

[Hanwombat]

It was horrible when Fernandos wheel flew off, its as if I bad luck cloud is surrounding racing at the moment

[headless]

Yeah, well it flopped back and I was like "no!"
Squeaky bum time.

[Jamie]

Whats going on? the last death was like 30 years ago. What's going on? 2010!!! This is stupid. But i would prefer to see a sport banned than rather see a family lose a son or father.

[EwanM]

Whats going on? the last death was like 30 years ago. What's going on? 2010!!! This is stupid. But i would prefer to see a sport banned than rather see a family lose a son or father.

1994 isn't 30 years ago.

Last single seater death was last weekend...

[Amanda]

Whats going on? the last death was like 30 years ago. What's going on? 2010!!! This is stupid. But i would prefer to see a sport banned than rather see a family lose a son or father.

It was 15 years ago, Senna. You joking or am I just misunderstanding you here?

[Jamie]

Whats going on? the last death was like 30 years ago. What's going on? 2010!!! This is stupid. But i would prefer to see a sport banned than rather see a family lose a son or father.

It was 15 years ago, Senna. You joking or am I just misunderstanding you here?

A little over dramatic, but you understand what i mean? It was nearly my life time ago injury could kill someone. You would of thought it got better.

[Amanda]

Whats going on? the last death was like 30 years ago. What's going on? 2010!!! This is stupid. But i would prefer to see a sport banned than rather see a family lose a son or father.

It was 15 years ago, Senna. You joking or am I just misunderstanding you here?

A little over dramatic, but you understand what i mean? It was nearly my life time ago injury could kill someone. You would of thought it got better.

It's definitely got better but there will always be dangers.

[Gaz]

Whats going on? the last death was like 30 years ago. What's going on? 2010!!! This is stupid. But i would prefer to see a sport banned than rather see a family lose a son or father.

It was 15 years ago, Senna. You joking or am I just misunderstanding you here?

A little over dramatic, but you understand what i mean? It was nearly my life time ago injury could kill someone. You would of thought it got better.

It has? whats your point mate.