![]() World champion Lewis Hamilton is among many other leading drivers who has also said he is open to change. ![]() Jenson Button, F1's most experienced driver, proved particularly outspoken and declared "I think we've all had enough now", while Daniel Ricciardo described finding a prevention for head injuries the "last piece of the puzzle" for motorsport safety. While one of the appeals of F1 and other single-seater racing is inevitably their historic open-cockpit nature, the deaths of Bianchi and Wilson in quick succession last year appear to have proved the final straw for drivers While there appears little doubt that a jetfighter-style canopy, for instance, would cure the issue of flying debris striking drivers, completing enclosing the cockpit would raise over concerns - namely how drivers would be extricated in accidents and what impact such a structure would have on visibility, particularly in the rain. In 2011, the FIA Institute released videos of tests it had conducted with three potential solutions: a titanium roll hoop, a windshield, and a full jetfighter-style canopy.Īn F1 wheel weighting 20kg was fired at all three structures at 140mph, and although the windshield shattered, the roll hoop and canopy successfully deflected the tyre away without sustaining impact damage.įurther ideas and refinements have since been tested in the following years, with the Mercedes-devised 'halo' concept gaining the most traction since details of it emerged last summer.Ĭharlie Whiting analyses the canopy protection testsĪlthough the FIA conducted its initial tests five years ago, the fact that none of the potential solutions have yet been adopted underlines the challenge present in settling on the right way forward. The issue returned to the spotlight in 2012 after the multi-car pile-up at the start of the Belgian GP, when Romain Grosjean's Lotus flew across the front of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari and perilously close to the Spaniard's head, and once again last year following the deaths of F1's Jules Bianchi and Ind圜ar driver Justin Wilson to head injuries. The accident came just six days after Henry Surtees, the 18-year-old son of 1964 world champion John, was killed by a flying wheel in a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch. Improving head protection for drivers has proved an unsolved conundrum for F1 - and single-seater motorsport at large - since Felipe Massa suffered serious head injuries when a 1kg spring pierced his crash helmet during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian GP. "Nevertheless, we will continue our efforts to find a way to deflect flying debris away from the cockpit, but this is anything but an easy task." Whiting said the results of next month's testing will be presented in early October.A central pillar supports the halo around the driver's head "We believe that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits," he added. As for an entirely closed cockpit, Whiting said, "I don't think this (Wilson) accident will change our minds in terms of closed cockpits. In the wake of the Wilson tragedy, the FIA has already committed to recommencing tests on a couple of cockpit protection concepts, including a sort of "halo" structure that was devised by Mercedes. "In any case, we will speak with our counterparts from the Ind圜ar series to see if we can learn something from this horrible accident," he said. "We don't know whether our noses are secured better or worse than in Ind圜ar," Whiting told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, "but I can say that our testing is very strict. In the case of Wilson's death, he was hit by the nose-cone structure of a crashed rival's car, raising questions about whether the same could happen in F1. Oct 6, 2014, 8:12 AM Marussia F1 driver Bianchi suffered a serious head injury after crashing into a recovery vehicle in the closing stages of the Japanese Grand Prix. ![]() But after the latest incident in Ind圜ar involving the death of former F1 driver Justin Wilson, the FIA race director admitted Formula One must also continue to work on better protecting the drivers' heads. Charlie Whiting has admitted Formula One could be some way from introducing closed cockpits. I made this Scuderia Ferrari Progetto 668 and Williams FW38 concepts to visualize what F1 cars could look like with a closed cockpit. ![]()
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