If they go through with that, damn F1 wouldn't be the same.

Interesting tests though. With a roof like that It would more closely resemble the RedBull X1

given how rare fire is these days in F1 i'm surprised this hasn't happened earlier, off shore power boats went with the F16 canopy quite a few years ago and it's made a huge difference to their safety record. the FIA seem bent on making F1 a non fatality sport no matter how impossible that maybe and given how drivers drivers are these days walking away from impacts that should at the very least result in major fractures, the head is the only area left for them to worry about.

i'm not a lover of loosing open cockpits but these days there's so much driver protection each side of their heads that maybe it would actually allow the spectator to see more of the driver.

biggest downsides i'd have thought will be that aero efficiency will improve so we're probably looking for a further power reduction to reduce speed (though they might use some lateral thinking and control top speed with a aero drag fittment which could improve slip streaming) and how will they cope with dirty windscreens or wet weather? F1 pitstops are too short for pit crews to clean like in prototype or GT racing, a wiper probably won't work on such a tight curvature and even a rip off may be awkward given the shape. then there will be the problem of heat build up, sitting in a small green house in the middle east in fire proofs is not a good way to stay cool, F1 cockpits are already very hot, fighter cockpits are uncomfortably hot in sunshine, put the two together and it could easily be unbearable. and of course at some point, no matter how unlikely, someone will end up upside down with the car jammed in a barriers/ tyres with enough room for a driver to crawl out but not enough for the canopy to be removed and there will be a fire.

on balance i'd say F1 is pretty safe these days, driver's helmets and crash protection does an incredible job already, so we probably don't need this given the potential problems and how it would fundementally alter the look of the cars.

one step closer to having a grid of X1s

This could be good.

This is a load of bollocks. Good job that the FIA are hell-bent on their efforts to protect the drivers, but those canopies would be only good for avoiding object intrusions, nothing else. Freak accidents just happen, and 2 years ago it just happened to be a sad coincidence where one driver was killed and another one had his season ended. It's motor racing, it's never going to be 100% safe.

If a car rolls over or catches fire, how are the drivers supposed to get out? Sure, I think there's going to be a ground-breaking solution for that problem but I'm also sure that it would take a bit longer for the drivers to get themselves out. Not to mention the cockpit temperatures with a canopy, open cockpits are hot enough. Sorry but I just don't see closed top F1 cars happening.

If LMP cars can have closed cockpits, there are no technical reasons (including heat) why F1 cars cannot.

Quote from tinvek :

then there will be the problem of heat build up, sitting in a small green house in the middle east in fire proofs is not a good way to stay cool, F1 cockpits are already very hot, fighter cockpits are uncomfortably hot in sunshine, put the two together and it could easily be unbearable.

NASCAR Stock Cars have been known to experiance temperatures nearing 140 Degrees (F) in the United States. They have a few minor driver cooling devices that F1 could use should they go to this. I don't see heat becomming an important issue.

The top level of NASCAR has had 0 fatalities in the last half decade, and I think F1 could have nearly the same record if they went to this. Would it be good for racing? That's the important question...

Quote from samjh :

If LMP cars can have closed cockpits, there are no technical reasons (including heat) why F1 cars cannot.

Well there is at least one huge difference. In prototype cars the drivers get into the cockpit through doors while that f1 pic photoshop looks like the driver would enter from top like in current f1 cars but with the canopy removed. In case of rollover there is big difference between the two because you need to get that canopy out of the way first. In an lmp car you can exit through the door.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B8Wh ... otorsport_110519_0118.jpg

Need air jacks but for when you are upside down. It would flip you back over.

Quote from Cornys :

The top level of NASCAR has had 0 fatalities in the last half decade, and I think F1 could have nearly the same record if they went to this. Would it be good for racing? That's the important question...

F1 hasn't seen any fatality since 1994. That's 17 years.

Where did you get your numbers from if you say that they could have nearly the same record? F1 is already better than that.

Quote from ATHome :

F1 hasn't seen any fatality since 1994. That's 17 years.

Where did you get your numbers from if you say that they could have nearly the same record? F1 is already better than that.

I didn't have numbers. I was assuming they weren't that good because they think they have an issue with open cockpits. Apparently, I over assumed

I know that F2 has had one as late as 2009 though, so I assumed that faster cars would have about the same or worse record.

I expect Massa to be 100% behind this idea

Quote from RiseAgainstMe! :

I expect Massa to be 100% behind this idea

Yeah!

what is scary is what happened to the wheel after it hit the canopy, given how low the canopy is (i.e.) on the ground) and the wheel was doing 140mph, any guesses how far away the wheel went after it was deflected?
























1 mile !!!!!!

Quote from Cornys :

I didn't have numbers. I was assuming they weren't that good because they think they have an issue with open cockpits. Apparently, I over assumed

I know that F2 has had one as late as 2009 though, so I assumed that faster cars would have about the same or worse record.

Just so you can get away from being a stereotypical stupid yank, here's some links for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L ... rmula_One_fatal_accidents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NASCAR_fatal_accidents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C ... _of_motorsport_fatalities

And there's always http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/...

Stupid idea IMO. F1 doesn't need, either from a safety or an asthetic point of view, closed cockpits. As said how would drivers get out in case of fire, or a rollover. Or being nose first into a tyre barrier, unless the FIA mandates ejector seat-type technology for the canopy, which itself would cause issues.

I noticed in that vid that the canopy itself shattered, surely that's an added danger as well as deflecting the wheel? If a wheel got deflected into the stands and hit (or worse) a fan, there'd be a huge backlash. I can't help but feel F1's going the wrong way about this.

Introducing a solution to a problem which rarely happens....and in turn creating potential bigger problems.


In all the single seater races that happen world wide, how often has a wheel hit a driver. We have the tragic accident to Henry Surtees in 2009 and the incident with Massa (2009???) but other than that I can't think of any other.


Yes it's a danger and I applaud the FIA in constantly looking into the dangers of motorsport and looking for ways to make it safer, but I fear that in the closed cockpit they are creating a potential bigger issue in preventing a smaller (but potentially fatal) issue.

IMO it makes much more sense to try and keep wheels attached to the car than it does to try and cover the driver. They just need to improve on the tethers that hold the wheels to the car during accidents.

The tethers used to be very very effective. Iirc too effective, there were perceived dangers of tethered wheels being swung around and hitting the driver of the car they are attached to.

Quote from sinbad :

The tethers used to be very very effective. Iirc too effective, there were perceived dangers of tethered wheels being swung around and hitting the driver of the car they are attached to.

i.e: Kimi Raikkonen's suspension failure at the 2005 European GP...that was a hairy moment.

Quote from Rappa Z :

IMO it makes much more sense to try and keep wheels attached to the car than it does to try and cover the driver. They just need to improve on the tethers that hold the wheels to the car during accidents.

Remember the schmacher accident in abu dhabi? That canopy is not just for flying debris and tires.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qve8RHYh--4
Accidents like that are not unheard of with single seaters.

I just hope it won't affect how visible the drivers are.

I mean to be able to see their helmets, hand gesture, steering input etc etc, as a helmet designer it will be sad to their the helmets hid away by the glare on the canopy.

Quote from Senninha25 :

i.e: Kimi Raikkonen's suspension failure at the 2005 European GP...that was a hairy moment.

Whaaat?
I'd say in this time wheels were locked with wires, no flying wheels at all. Those wires between car and wheel would have been saved Henry Surtees life...

Quote from TypeRacing :

Whaaat?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnCrEpLV5e4

Quote from TypeRacing :

I'd say in this time wheels were locked with wires, no flying wheels at all. Those wires between car and wheel would have been saved Henry Surtees life...

Those wires exist already, and they're named tethers. I've heard somewhere that for this season, F1 cars needed to have two tethers in each wheel to further reduce the chances of them getting loose. And in 2009, F2 cars did have tethers but somehow the impact was enough for a wheel to break away from the tether, and we all know what happened after that.
As always there is the danger of the wheels not being fastened properly, so those wires wouldn't be able to stop it from getting loose.