The great cockpit debate; 'discussion' this Friday....

Yes.

They have long lost the true perception of what they are doing, running around in their over paid lifestyle. Maybe if they did some test driving they would get their head out of the clouds

It is time for the "sport" to get real and remember it is supposed to be the pinnacle of all motor sport, not completely different and isolated and acting like supreme being BS.
Pete

 

They drive around in circles for a living. While Vettel and a few others are clearly smart, how many possess a Physics Degree, and truly understand what is being presented to them. This Halo structure could prove to be a ticking timebomb

 

What he said

 

A bit of apples and oranges from a physics perspective. The piece of suspension you mention was a projectile with a certainly energy of its own. It hit Senna with all of that energy still "intact." A broken halo would be in pieces because it absorbed (at least some of) the energy of some impact. Yes, possibly creating a loose part, but the creation of the loose part re-directs a lot of potential energy. IOW, it's a device that is designed to reduce potential energy in the immediate vicinity of the driver's head. Basic physics tells us the benefit of doing that.

I'm a bit of a cockpit skeptic myself, but in my lifetime it has always been called open-wheel racing (like you typed). I've never heard of it referred to as open-cockpit racing. Again, I'm skeptical, but am willing to keep an open mind.

 

If you are so dismissive of the drivers' opinion, it makes me wonder how you can be interested in a sport when you don't respect the participants.

 

Uh, oh. Once again you picked the wrong opponent. PSK is a racer through and through and knows F1.

Few people on here that I respect more.

 

I don't "pick opponents", I just give my opinion.

Is that OK with you?

Is that not what a forum is all about?

I don't expect everybody to agree with me, but that's life, isn't it ?

 

That would be all ok except that you challenged PSK on a personal level.

Different viewpoints is cool, questioning somebody's level of passion/comprehension for the sport is not. IMHO

 

It's either a full closed cockpit, or a none at all.

 

It shouldn't be one or the other. It's either continue F1 or not.

 

OK, if PSK feels that my post is offending to him, I presume he can always speak for himself, can't he?

Are you his spokeman perhaps, or just stiring up for the sake of it?

 

Just give them a fighter plane type bubble canopy.

 

The halo seems like a good compromise.

 

No comment required, but I stand by what I said.


And FastIan, William, etc.

The halo is stupid. Lets cut to the chase and race LMP cars but for F1 number of laps for the F1 WDC/WCC. At least that makes sense
Pete

 

IMO F1 will adopt in future a configuration similar to WEC, with a narrower cockpit of course.

It's only a matter of time, but the wheels are already in motion.

 

While agreeing that the people working on this are experienced and knowledgeable, I stand by my post at the top of page 7. F-1 (and Indycar, for that matter) is an open wheel and open cockpit formula. Want to race something else? Do so; there are numerous racing series for those who don't want to adhere to a 60 year old formula.
As others have said, what's next, a roll cage/survival cell for motorcycle racers? How about fake mountains lined with foam padding for men's downhill skiers? F-1 cars and circuits are light years safer than they have ever been, and that is to be applauded. But changing over a half century of a good thing because of some freakish accidents (highly regrettable) which expose risk (inevitable)? Guess what? If the drivers in F-1 and Indycar want to race closed cockpit cars there are literally thousands of people who will step up to replace them.

 

I wouldn't mind closed cockpits and half face helmets without visors with a camera pointed at the driver the whole time. Would be a win for home spectators too being able to see the drivers' facial espressions (except Kimi who doesn't have any), just a small loss for the spectators at the actual track.

 

When people concentrate there are no facial expressions ...


Fast_Ian,

The halo means an end to the open cockpit. F1 will become the laughing stock of 90% of the planet ... I can hear the news announcers now. Lets face it the open cockpit has been shrinking for years. It has had it's day, lets just drop it like we dropped spaceframe chassis'.

As for experienced and knowledgeable people ... those (I believe) very same people allowed a tractor track side. That should never have occurred. I believe there is some serious @rse covering going on here and, just like Bernie, the health of F1 is not the priority.
Pete

 

The market now has little to do with racing but more to do with celebrities and $'s involved ...

Most could not give a toss if a car did a lap or not. Even back in the late 80's or was it 90's when I went to Adelaide with a tour I was amazed how few actually watched any of the racing. That is the F1 audience ...

... was it always like this? I guess in the 30's as it is now, motor racing was a rich persons sport and therefore people gravitated to them. I do think though as we were still learning how to make a car there was that excitement. That mystery has long disappeared and we artificialise now ...

While I will always believe that Bernie has financially mismanaged F1 for his own gain (oh the motor racing infrastructure we all could have shared), there is no denying that the automobile is closing in on it's last days as something of interest. Sure we will continue to have (electric, self driving?) automobiles, but we've had tables and chairs for a long time too ... and no going back to petrol powered v10 engines will not save it, at all.
Pete

 

I am sure that the motor car as we have seen it last century is on its way out,.

As for motor racing, in 100 years time people will look back at it as some sort of anti social pastime.

New interests and new passions will emerge in between.

 

Glad I won't have to witness that time.