Closed cockpits now appear 'inevitable' for Formula 1 in future

[Duke]

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 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."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/102213


I think we knew closed cockpits were coming, but not for maybe 7-10 years but I get the feeling they will be brought in quicker now.

I don't think it is really a bad thing, it will be very different. Looking at the F1 Fanatic article from a week ago or so (http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/08/22/cockpit-canopies-covered-wheels-future-f1/), that in my eyes is what an F1 car should look like soon, rather than the ugly nose ones we have now.

It just looks "cool" imo and closed cockpits are one step towards this design.

 

[Duke]

Maybe further increasing the height of the side protection on the drivers head would be simpler solution?

 

[Duke]

Reducing visibility is probably the last thing you want to do if you're trying to prevent accidents and increase safety.

They barely move their heads left and right how it is, so making the sides higher won't change it. The mirror size could be made a bit bigger though and/or make them not vibrate so much or something, so they become useful.

 

[Duke]

OK, when was the last time a driver was actually hit in the head by another car during a crash?

Well Massa nearly lost an eye and Maria de Villota did lose an eye.. we've then had this (Alonso) and Webber's incident a year or two back where they had a car coming over the nose/cockpit of theirs. Do you want a serious head injury first before considering it then?

 

[Duke]

The doors have explosive charges so if the car ends up upside down they get blown off meaning the driver isn't trapped (well that's the theory anyway).

Yep, just like on the Mercedes SLS that has gull wing doors. If you crash and end up side down, the doors blow off.

I didn't see it either, it's what he said in an interview.

Maybe something got lost in translation.

I think it was just fail by the marshal who used the extinguisher the wrong direction, which didn't help. The medical person at the side of the cockpit was gesturing him to not keep spraying their direction!