Whiting and closed cockpits

F1 race director Charlie Whiting says protected cockpits will happen - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com - Long overdue. It only took a preventable death to get this moving again. Closed cockpits abound in racing. Do it.
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FIA technical director Charlie Whiting is convinced protected cockpits will one day be introduced into open-wheel racing as motorsport's governing body prepares to conduct further testing.

The death of Justin Wilson after being struck by debris from another car during the Pocono IndyCar race on Sunday has again brought the topic of open cockpits into question.

Justin Wilson obituary: 1978-2015

Since the death of Henry Surtees in 2009 when he was killed by a loose wheel in a F2 race, a week ahead of Felipe Massa sustaining life-threatening injuries when struck on the helmet by a component from another car at the Hungarian GP, the FIA has strenuously looked into providing some form of head protection for drivers.

Initial designs focused on a closed cockpit akin to a fighter jet, but following exhaustive tests this idea was dismissed given concerns surrounding the strength of the cover and a driver's safety should he become trapped following an accident.

Roll bars were also examined and discarded as they obscured a driver's view, but now the FIA is to look into two further designs towards the end of next month.

'Tradition' is no argument against closed cockpits

Whiting told AUTOSPORT: "We've been working on this for a few years and come up with a number of solutions to test, some more successfully than others.

"We had the fighter jet cockpit approach, but the downsides to that significantly outweighed the upsides.

"We also came up with some fairly ugly looking roll structures in front of the drivers, but they can't drive with it as they can't see through it.

The FIA Institute continues to work on safety improvements

"So it's been really, really hard to come up with something that is going to do it.

"But we have two other solutions on the table, with the first something from Mercedes.

"It doesn't cover the driver, you can still take the driver out, which is one of the most important things, and it's a hoop above the drivers head and forward of it, but with one central stay.

"We are also looking at another device which is blades of varying heights which will be set on top of the chassis and in front of the driver at angles which will render them nearly invisible to him."

The tests comprise objects, which include a complete wheel and tyre, being fired at a chassis, with a driver's head simulated in the cockpit.

'THERE MUST BE A WAY'

Whiting feels even if the FIA has to go back to the drawing board again should these latest two designs not be up to scratch, they will find a solution that will help prevent injury or death.

"We have put in a huge amount of time, effort and research into this project, which has not been easy, in fact bloody hard," added Whiting.

"But I can definitely see the day when this will happen. One day there will be something that will decrease a driver's risk of injury.

"Whether it will be as good at protecting a driver from an object coming towards him as a fighter jet cockpit, I doubt that, but it will offer him protection.

"We have to persevere. We must make something, even if it's not 100 per cent in terms of protecting the driver under all circumstances.

"But if it improves the situation it has to be good. There must be a way."

 

Hopefully never. Dumb idea.

 

So to speak - this train is leaving the station. I think the momentum will see this occur. Possibly first in Indy-Car but F1 and Whiting appear to want this. Drivers are also not against it from what Im hearing - are open to the concept.

 

Whiting is getting old. Hopefully he retires before he can act on this. It would destroy a lot of the sport. We dont need another Le Mans series.

 

I dont see it changing the series. Its a cover over their helmets. Wait get rid of the helmets clearly changed everything it did lol

 

You wont see the helmets anymore with all the light reflections. The drivers will become indistinguishable and the sport will become further removed from the fans

 

As per the other thread, I personally think that a window surround like this is the way forward.

Keeps the driver save from flying wheels, debris et all, yet still the cars remain open cockpit.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

... just wondering:
even such a screen would make it very difficult for a driver to escape from a car lying upside down, wouldn't it?

 

Exactly.

F1 would be over and LMS (or whatever it is called) ...
Pete

 

Yes, but I think we have the same problem now. I don't think Perez escaped on his own.

A tall roll hoop will solve the problem.

 

I see a poll coming

 

A sports car is bigger, heavier and built to run long distances. A F1 is light, fast in the corners, with big wings and open wheels. Even if they put a canopy on it, it still would be very different to a sports car.

I think closed cockpits in F1 is a matter of "when", not "if". Personally I prefer F1 cockpits to stay open, but I´m not the one who has to drive them, and as an spectator I don´t want to see someone get killed just for a matter of looks or tradition.

Having said that, if they don´t want to use some sort of jetfighter canopy, it´s going to look ugly as sin. Those deflectors Whiting is talking about would look like a cage when seen from the front. And the Mercedes proposal doesn´t look nice either.

 

I dunno. Comparing that pic with where we're at today, seems to me the bodywork is already at pretty much where that screen is - They sit really "low" these days. And, while it may deflect some stuff, his head remains "exposed" to these freak types of accidents.

In Phil's case, a stupid spring hit him! It could have gone anywhere, and the chances of something akin happening again are about zero IMO.

In JW's case it was a chunk of nosecone. Terrible, terrible, luck, but I just don't think such accidents are preventable.

They're not getting out of an upturned car without help. They're already in a "survival cell", and Prof Sid mandated (correctly, IMO) the spinal/neck supports that allows the docs to pull them out without causing further injury.

It's a conundrum for sure..... I am however certain that *something* unforeseen will occur if they go to closed cockpits and we'll all be howling about what a silly idea that was when something bad happens.......

I recall when "catch fencing" was considered a great idea as it would slow them down prior to hitting the barriers - Made sense until guys were getting wrapped up in it and the rescue crews had to cut thru it to even reach the guy!

"Motor racing is dangerous".

Cheers,
Ian

 

That's what the stewards are for.

How many people have been injured upside down vs not?

 

Agreed. Don't know how many folk have been at a race when someone is killed, but suffice to say it's very, very, sombering.

+1

I guess we'd get used to canopies, but beyond that I'm not sure that Charlie's deflectors would have helped Phil for example - It was a pretty small projectile that would/could fly straight thru his deflectors and/or Mercs "T-bar".



Ian

 

I agree, I'm not sold on the canopy either. But I think we're headed for ''open canopy''. As you say, the drivers sit lower and the survival cell is about as high as where that windshield is, and in our case it'll be a bit taller again (the windshield/open canopy).

They're freak incidents, and very sad ones in the case of Justin Wilson and Henry Surtees (I'm excluding Bianchi at the moment, I don't think a windshield/canopy would have done much), but at the same time extremely rare.

Every time something like this happens we get the canopy argument and nothing happens. I think eventually it will happen. Could be next year. Could be 30 years from now.

 

Totally agreed. Your key words here are "freak accidents" & "extremely rare" IMO.

They're *way* safer than they've ever been of course, but unforeseen **** will continue to happen. Nature of the game unfortunately.

Don't like it? Do as Switzerland did and ban the whole thing is the only way to make it safe......

Cheers,
Ian

 

I posted this yesterday in the Justin Wilson thread. Not a canopy. FIA set to carry out closed cockpit tests | Formula 1 news | Motorsport.com

 

If they go that way, with closed cockpits..they're gonna loose more fans.

 

How are they going to keep a canopy clean? tear offs? Or maybe a wiper? Back to endurance racers...

 

I will still watch. Its a piece of the car not the car. Given the aero they might be faster with it. Its not the end of the world but a needed change in some fashion.

 

Closed cockpits? Bad idea. There is a reason why they are called freak accidents. Don't want to face the possibility of one? Ban the sport. It May sound harsh but that is the reality of racing. On youtube there is a video of a brick flying off the back of a construction truck and going through the windshield of a car, killing the driver. She wasn't in a convertible; shall we ban the transportation of bricks? Of course the load wasn't properly secured but there are no guarantees in life.

That said, these drivers have all been killed by flying objects-a single metal bar placed over the drivers head after he's in the cockpit, the sole attachment point being the above the drivers headrest might work. Paint it the same color as the drivers helmet so as to blend might be the most effective solution; it will of course be readily detachable in case of emergency.

 

This is a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation.

 

Exxxactly what I was going to write...

In 1987 at Brands Hatch at the start of a pre-74 Formula Ford race -ie 13 year + old cars- one guy's brake disc shattered, locked the wheel, ripped the wishbones to shreds and the whole wheel with hub came flying over my head..it is only by chance that I did not end up like Henry Surtees, Markus Hottinger or Justin this Sunday...

In 1989 in Formula Renault at Thruxton I suddenly spun for no reason in sunny weather at top speed -about 135mph-in the fast curve at the back of the circuit, played lawn mower spinning in the grass. When I stopped I put first gear but it just revved so I noticed that the left rear wheel was missing. The hub of the "factory" Elden I was driving (not the best made car ever ahem but it was a free drive) had failed and the wheel under load had flown 30 feet high over the marshalls, bounced again, flown out of the circuit perimeter fence, over a 10 foot wide lane over another fence and into the..village school...thankfully it was a sunday and it just bounced harmlessly to a stop in an empty school property. Many years later, sometime Ferrari factory driver David Piper whom I have known since 1982 said oh that was YOUR wheel Marc? Apparently there was quite a fuss about it but I never knew anything about it I was just the team driver...just imagine had that been a school day...

 

Bingo