FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[LewEngBridewell]

I'm not so sure myself. The intentions behind the device are sound, but I cannot see how it won't be completely in the way of a driver's view. And it looks to me as if they've only taken one direction into mind... a tyre coming from in front of the moving car. That's how Massa's crash occurred (albeit with a spring, of course), but with regards to the death of Henry Surtees, the wheel came from the side.

[Jabberwocky]

What they could do is an open canopy that starts at the front tires and ends where the cockpit is so drivers can get in and out. This would solve visibility issues and escape/exit issues. No ejections needed!!

I like that idea, but I can see the aero teams going nuts over it

[acosmichippo]

Surely part of the attraction of the sport, (for both audience and driver) is the danger....?

Yeah, if there isn't the possibility of someone being mortally wounded, I have no interest in watching.

I'm not so sure myself. The intentions behind the device are sound, but I cannot see how it won't be completely in the way of a driver's view. And it looks to me as if they've only taken one direction into mind... a tyre coming from in front of the moving car. That's how Massa's crash occurred (albeit with a spring, of course), but with regards to the death of Henry Surtees, the wheel came from the side.

The guy in the article said he knows they haven't taken every possibility into account. They're just getting started with testing.


Anyway, as others have echoed, There's no way the drivers would stand for this in its current form due to the severe obstruction of view. But this looks like a basic proof-of-concept test. Who knows where it'll go from here.

[stonemonkey]

I can't see how it can be done effectively without affecting either visibility or ability to get in/out of the car both of which bring their own safety issues and imo could give more risk than they presently have from flying debris.
I never want to see anyone injured but there are risks in everyday life so of course driving at 200mph in close quarters has it's dangers, I don't mean safety shouldn't be an issue but Massa's accident was a freak occurence, the wheels are a more common problem though and I think it would be more worth it to look into improving the tethering.

[LewEngBridewell]

I never want to see anyone injured but there are risks in everyday life so of course driving at 200mph in close quarters has it's dangers, I don't mean safety shouldn't be an issue but Massa's accident was a freak occurence, the wheels are a more common problem though and I think it would be more worth it to look into improving the tethering.

Tethering improvement seems to be a never ending quest, although you must admit things are much better in that area since, say, the turn of the century. Tethers only seem to break in the most fierce of accidents now. 10 years ago, they used to break off much more readily.

[scotty]

Don't like this idea? Gonna have to deal with it, it seems...

Closed cockpits now appear to be inevitable in Formula 1, with technical chiefs set to ramp up efforts to bring them in following Fernando Alonso's lucky escape in the first lap crash at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Romain Grosjean's Lotus flew over the front of Alonso's cockpit in the pile-up, and it was fortunate that the Ferrari driver did not suffer any impact on his helmet.

The good fortune served to highlight the biggest weakness in the modern safety design of F1 cars, and comes as the FIA Institute and technical figures continue work on closed cockpit concepts.

McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe thinks the first corner crash will serve as a reminder about how important this work is and increase a push being made to change cockpit designs for as early as 2014.

"I think 2014 is intended, as we started the project a year ago," said Lowe, who has been involved in work on the cockpit project. "Personally I think something is inevitable because it is the one big [safety] exposure that we have got.

"You see it time and time again and think 'that was lucky'. One day it won't be lucky. At the same time it is an open cockpit formula so we have to protect that, but it should be technically possible one way or another."

Work on closed cockpits ramped up after the injuries that Felipe Massa suffered at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix when he was hit on the head by a car component, just a few days after Henry Surtees was killed in a Formula 2 race when he was struck by a wheel.

Lowe says that an initial focus on canopy protection has now been abandoned, with tests highlighting that a bar/cage type design is much better.

"We have made a test piece and it has been tested structurally with various impacts, like firing wheels at it, and that was successful.

"So we understand some of the parameters in terms of the angles that are needed and the strength of the pieces. The work that is currently in progress is assessing its visibility, and we've done some work on the simulator with our interpretation.

"Ideally a driver wants nothing in the way, but in the same way as you drive a road car or even the old VW camper van with the centre pillar, you just get used to it don't you? We found that as long as the pillars don't get too big it is something you can get used to.

"So we have some parameters about pillar size, and now we are looking at making something with that pillar size and to the right strength requirement."

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says that work on closed cockpits should not be rushed though, because there are numerous safety considerations needed.

"We were lucky because nothing happened to Fernando on the head," he said.

"We are working with the federation to work on the right system of protection, because on what we are testing and working on, there are also some problems that you may have - like moving the protection in the event of a fire or worse. So we need to be very careful on all these devices."

[Nin-Chin]

Don't like this idea? Gonna have to deal with it, it seems...

Closed cockpits now appear to be inevitable in Formula 1, with technical chiefs set to ramp up efforts to bring them in following Fernando Alonso's lucky escape in the first lap crash at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Romain Grosjean's Lotus flew over the front of Alonso's cockpit in the pile-up, and it was fortunate that the Ferrari driver did not suffer any impact on his helmet.

The good fortune served to highlight the biggest weakness in the modern safety design of F1 cars, and comes as the FIA Institute and technical figures continue work on closed cockpit concepts.

McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe thinks the first corner crash will serve as a reminder about how important this work is and increase a push being made to change cockpit designs for as early as 2014.

"I think 2014 is intended, as we started the project a year ago," said Lowe, who has been involved in work on the cockpit project. "Personally I think something is inevitable because it is the one big [safety] exposure that we have got.

"You see it time and time again and think 'that was lucky'. One day it won't be lucky. At the same time it is an open cockpit formula so we have to protect that, but it should be technically possible one way or another."

Work on closed cockpits ramped up after the injuries that Felipe Massa suffered at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix when he was hit on the head by a car component, just a few days after Henry Surtees was killed in a Formula 2 race when he was struck by a wheel.

Lowe says that an initial focus on canopy protection has now been abandoned, with tests highlighting that a bar/cage type design is much better.

"We have made a test piece and it has been tested structurally with various impacts, like firing wheels at it, and that was successful.

"So we understand some of the parameters in terms of the angles that are needed and the strength of the pieces. The work that is currently in progress is assessing its visibility, and we've done some work on the simulator with our interpretation.

"Ideally a driver wants nothing in the way, but in the same way as you drive a road car or even the old VW camper van with the centre pillar, you just get used to it don't you? We found that as long as the pillars don't get too big it is something you can get used to.

"So we have some parameters about pillar size, and now we are looking at making something with that pillar size and to the right strength requirement."

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali says that work on closed cockpits should not be rushed though, because there are numerous safety considerations needed.

"We were lucky because nothing happened to Fernando on the head," he said.

"We are working with the federation to work on the right system of protection, because on what we are testing and working on, there are also some problems that you may have - like moving the protection in the event of a fire or worse. So we need to be very careful on all these devices."

[1Lemon]

We could drastically improve the saftey by having Grosjean made to race from the back of the grid and everyone else given a 5 second head start for a chance of "Not being hit on the first lap."

[darwin dali]

We could drastically improve the saftey by having Grosjean made to race from the back of the grid and everyone else given a 5 second head start for a chance of "Not being hit on the first lap."

A bit harsh

[Nin-Chin]

We could drastically improve the saftey by having Grosjean made to race from the back of the grid and everyone else given a 5 second head start for a chance of "Not being hit on the first lap."

A bit harsh

Wait what about bang on the side doesnt look to cover head protection on the side and top

[LewEngBridewell]

Knee. Jerk. Reaction.

[headless]

I'm not so sure myself. The intentions behind the device are sound, but I cannot see how it won't be completely in the way of a driver's view. And it looks to me as if they've only taken one direction into mind... a tyre coming from in front of the moving car. That's how Massa's crash occurred (albeit with a spring, of course), but with regards to the death of Henry Surtees, the wheel came from the side.

I had vision of the roll hoop being more side wards based, still blocking wheels from ahead, but other things could get through.
Only blocking drivers vision to the sides, although they would get used to it.

[LewEngBridewell]

Ouch.

[headless]

Not as near as DC and Alex Wurz(?)'s crash a few years ago. Or as bad as Schumi at Abu Dhabi last year (or year before, Luizzi wasn't it?)!!

[LewEngBridewell]

Not as near as DC and Alex Wurz(?)'s crash a few years ago. Or as bad as Schumi at Abu Dhabi last year (or year before, Luizzi wasn't it?)!!

Yeah. There's been a number of close calls.