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We most certainly can. That seems to be the best way to do it.
proper ventilation and quick extraction would be the main concerns then, but being attached to the cockpit surround should make that last concern moot.
dont think it could deflect a tire/wheel combo, but smaller mass objects such as that spring should be sufficiently be deflected.
thats not sensible djos it is HYSTERIA! How dare you change the DNA of F1!
We most certainly can. That seems to be the best way to do it.
proper ventilation and quick extraction would be the main concerns then, but being attached to the cockpit surround should make that last concern moot.
Agreed, but would the bit of ventilation they put on it reduce the buffeting alot? And if not how would the buffeting affect the engine intake air from being disrupted? They would probably solve it in the windtunnel, if they are allowed under the rules currently in place for windtunnel testing, or there may be nothing to it. But it seems to be the best of both worlds. Enough to deflect the majority of debris with quick exiting of the cockpit. Hopefully it wouldn't look too weird or cause problems in the rain.
Does anyone know about the purpose of the current spec F1 widshields? They seem quite obsolete.
PS:
modbaraban wrote:I don't think there's a safety issue with the helmets. They are amazingly strong. Someone mentioned on this thread the idea to move the roll hoop forward. A roll hoop above and around the driver's head plus a proper windshield (60-s style) that would deflect any debris upwards and above the helmet, I think would be the right way to go.
BS. Such a windshield is so gayish and wouldn't helped Surtees and Massa since they got hit on the top of their head.
Why not sumply making a rule that brings out a SC if parts come loose such as a spring. There's also a radio where the team can inform their drivers to slow down.. There are options but please no closed cockpit. They might as well control the car from the pitwall (and completely enclosed in case a part come loose) and make it a RC championship.
Someone gave the example asking how much accidents happened with debris hitting a driver and how many cockpits caught fire in the last month ... For how long has there been racing with open cockpits? And how many times did something like Massa and Surtees happenend? Very rarely. Chill
Losers focus on winners, winners focus on winning.
I don't like the term "freak accident". The term basically means "physically improbable accident", but it's often taken to imply that the accident could not reasonably have been prevented. Yet it is often the case that physically improbable accidents can reasonably be prevented, if the risks are seen in advance.
For example, in 2001 a race marshal died when Jacques Villeneuve's tyre flew through a tiny gap in a fence. I have heard this described as a "freak accident". It was of course physically improbable. Yet could it reasonably have been prevented? Yes, by making a fence that does not have gaps big enough to let tyres through.
Of course, some people will say "but the gap was there to allow the marshals to access the track". But that's no excuse at all, because a solution could have been found allowing access to the track without tyre-sized holes in the fence. But no one saw the risk in advance.
In the Massa case, a spring coming off Barrichello's car and hitting the next driver down the road was clearly physically improbable. But could it reasonably have been prevented? To find out, we'd need to know how the spring came off, and we'd need to consider possible ways the cockpit could have been safer.
Motor racing is dangerous. Period. I doubt that there can ever be the day where it can be proclaimed that racing is 100% safe, and to be honest, it probably wouldn't be exciting. Not that I like accidents, to me they are racing gone wrong, and something I never wish to see.
I've seen the pendulum swing both ways, from some people's total disregard for safety, to the current hysteria. Personally, I try to maintain an even keel, despite my emotions that reach out for Massa. But what should be present is a continuing, long-term approach to safety, where we recognize that no matter how hard we try, or how much money is spent, accidents and serious injury can occur. I expect a renewed interest for a few months, but fear that once a solution to inproved cockpit protection is solved, people will start to ignore safety. That's what I do not like, the ups and downs like a graph. I hope that safety is always in everyone's minds, and that no one believes we are safe enough.
Racing should be decided on the track, not the court room.
aside from the whole motorsport can never be 100% safe arguments, I am wondering what type of safety canopy(if they are such at all) are used on race boats? Be it as unlimited hydroplane or F1 powerboat? They all feature close cockpit, they have high likelihood of climbing on top of one another, and the pilot of the boats have to exit quickly in the event of an accident(or they drown)...just curious...although there always seems to be more deadly accident on power boat races...
I agree that that it can never be safe for sure, but the danger inheritly from going fantastically fast is danger enough(which you will always have to deal with sudden deceleration, ie hitting something), but stuff like drivers being hurt by flying objects and debris is what I'd consider as avoidable, and really should be dealt with one way or another.
As to parts retention, the technology of nuts and bolts are very mature and very developed, and I'd venture to say 99% of a failure of a fasteners are due to inproper use of them. BGP seems to be aware of some potential issue with Rubers' car as he was complaining the car doing something prior to session 2. But understandably due to the tremendous time pressure they chose to wait and see. I think in that respect, although there might have been some negligence on their part, it is not uncommon, and it does take a pretty rare incident for the spring to leave a car, certainly much rarer compare to a loosely done wheel nut...
