Mercedes offers F1 alternate solution to closed cockpits

[John S]

Enclosure debate back on after Justin Wilson's death.

Getting out of the car in a fire situation still troubles most efforts at fully enclosed cockpits, but could Merc's design offer much better protection from flying objects without restricting escape?



I personally hate the idea of closed cockpits, however all safety measures are a trade off and motorsport is inherently a very dangerous sport - doing nothing to offer better driver protection may no longer be an option for the rule makers.

[Jericoke]

Enclosure debate back on after Justin Wilson's death.

Getting out of the car in a fire situation still troubles most efforts at fully enclosed cockpits, but could Merc's design offer much better protection from flying objects without restricting escape?



I personally hate the idea of closed cockpits, however all safety measures are a trade off and motorsport is inherently a very dangerous sport - doing nothing to offer better driver protection may no longer be an option for the rule makers.

How many race cars have caught on fire necessitating a quick escape vs the number of drivers who have suffered head injuries?

I like the open cockpit concept, but it seems to me most of the recent drivers who have been severely injured, or killed, have been head injuries.  Wilson, Bianchi and Weldon were all head injuries.  Wolf retired from racing due to a head injury.  Massa certainly came close.  At Indy Hinchcliffe had a similar injury to Wilson and was simply lucky not to be in a second crash as Wilson was.  (Yes, Hinch is currently sidelined with a non head injury)

I say put the question to Jackie Stewart. If he believes that these are freak accidents inherent to the spectacle of open wheel racing, I would consider that the end of the debate.

A unanimous decision by the GPDA would be a close second.  I don't know if IndyCar has an equivalent to the GPDA, but if so, I would like to see them work together on what the drivers want.

[Steve A.]

There would be misting up problems as well, and rain would be another issue. No tear off strips when grime is thrown up. To name but a few, quite like the Mercedes idea, would depend on how much it impacted on vision.

[Scott]

It's an interesting concept.  It probably wouldn't have helped in Massa's accident, or at least if the spring went through one of the gaps, and it's questionable if it could possibly have the strength to have remained intact in Bianchi's, but if it was insanely strong (to lift tractors and prevent bits of catch fence or errant wheels from entering the helmet area) and part of a larger body capsule, it could certainly have benefit. 

[Alianora La Canta]

That, to me, offers the worst of all options: substantially restricting escape and not lending that much protection from flying foreign objects.

[Jericoke]

That, to me, offers the worst of all options: substantially restricting escape and not lending that much protection from flying foreign objects.

If it's anchored with the shoulder/head rest it should come out quite easily in an emergency.

[Steve A.]

It would have to be anchored to the car pretty substantially. If it was connected to the shoulder head restraint we could potentially see a decapitation.

[Ian]

We'd best let Bernie test it for that then DH1 

[Scott]

I'm not sure why it would substantially inhibit escape.  The opening at the top appears to be almost as large as the cockpit opening.  Having a high bar to help pull yourself out might even increase the ease of escape. 

As for small bits of debris hitting the driver, that is a job of helmet safety.  It's the large objects - tractors, wheels or parts of barriers - that cause the brain injuries.

[cosworth151]

I agree with Scott on this. The first thing I thought of when I saw the picture was that it's sort of the F1 version of the open roll cages used on midget & sprint racer over here.

Seriously, I've considered putting a roll bar in my MG Midget (if I ever get time to finish it). Not so much for rollover protection but to use it as a handle to pull myself up out of the thing.

[Scott]

In fact looking at Cos's picture, I would say they could have made it higher because the helmet still seems to be vulnerable if something drops into the cage.

[Monty]

'open' cars are generally the easiest for drivers to produce the fastest lap times because the superior visibility allows pin-point accuracy on the track.
The image shown would severely impair visibility. At best this would slow cars down; at worst it could be dangerous because it could effect judgement of position and distance.
I am fed up with the knee-jerk reactions everytime there is an accident. Motor Racing is dangerous. If they want it 'safe' they need to produce bumper-cars and don't let them go over 30mph.
What happened to Jules could have and should have been avoided but Justin was just incredibly unlucky. I was really upset to hear about the tragedy but it was a fluke racing accident.

[Jericoke]

'open' cars are generally the easiest for drivers to produce the fastest lap times because the superior visibility allows pin-point accuracy on the track.
The image shown would severely impair visibility. At best this would slow cars down; at worst it could be dangerous because it could effect judgement of position and distance.
I am fed up with the knee-jerk reactions everytime there is an accident. Motor Racing is dangerous. If they want it 'safe' they need to produce bumper-cars and don't let them go over 30mph.
What happened to Jules could have and should have been avoided but Justin was just incredibly unlucky. I was really upset to hear about the tragedy but it was a fluke racing accident.

I agree the knee jerk reactions don't really lead to making anything better.

I don't agree that racing has to be inherently dangerous.  Yes, getting into a crash always involves a tremendous amount of energy, and if you cause a crash, one can argue that you 'deserve' an injury.  Most sports accept broken bones, sprains and such, and I think that if F1/Indycar resulted on those, there would be no concern.  Justin Wilson though, he wasn't in a crash.  It was a fluke, but he's not the first 'innocent' racer to be hit by flying debris this season.  If the sport can find a way to protect heads, they have to do it.

But you're absolutely right, a knee  jerk reaction that causes other concerns (either from a safety, sporting or spectacle point of view) isn't the way to go.  Take the time to put some thought into this.  Test a few suggestions.  Mercedes is right to make an effort, to start a discussion.

[Scott]

I agree that the head needs more protection in F1 (and Indy etc...), but have always been against canopies for exactly the reasons you say Monty.  However I think the design Mercedes came up with is an interesting compromise - and don't forget they came up with it in a matter of days. 

Agreed, the line of sight must be considered, but when you mention apex's and such, it makes me think that a very thin upright right in the centre like they have in their mock-up is possibly just what we want.  The only time it would necessarily even enter the line of sight is on a straight line, and honestly I think once the brain got its 'head around it', the drivers would hardly even notice it.  I would be more concerned with how the airflow would affect the drivers helmet than their line of sight in this case.

Of course design is something that would have to be a long time in testing and development, so perhaps there would even be a solution that was even better.

[Jericoke]

Agreed, the line of sight must be considered, but when you mention apex's and such, it makes me think that a very thin upright right in the centre like they have in their mock-up is possibly just what we want.  The only time it would necessarily even enter the line of sight is on a straight line, and honestly I think once the brain got its 'head around it', the drivers would hardly even notice it.  I would be more concerned with how the airflow would affect the drivers helmet than their line of sight in this case.

We've all seen the driver's point of view cameras.  There is the roll hoop and a half dozen antennae along that view.  The Mercedes design certainly wouldn't have much effect there.

On courses with elevation changes the upper bars might be surprisingly troublesome, or cause flickering sunlight/night lights as the cars turn through the twisty bits.