Single seater racing; the pinnacle of driving on the edge of your senses by stripping away anything unnecessary and bolting on the biggest engine and a few wings.
For years as the single seater concept has evolved with the understanding of aerodynamics and safety we have seen fewer serious injuries at any time in motorsports history. However, one debate has been more rife than any other in terms of safety.
Closed Cockpits: Is It The Way Forward?
In recent years we’ve lost drivers to head injuries due to intrusions made into the cockpit area. Henry Surtees lost his life due to a wheel hitting him on the head during an Formula two race at Brands Hatch.
Felipe Massa was caught in a freak accident when a rear suspension spring fell from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn in Hungary 2009. Dan Wheldon was also killed in a huge pile up during the 2011 IndyCar finale at Las Vegas Speedway, while the car was airborne his head had struck the catch fencing post.
Jules Bianchi’s unfortunate accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix when his car left the road in wet conditions and hit a tractor, while there was no direct injury to his head, there is an argument that a closed cockpit will have helped protect Jules.
IndyCar and former Formula One driver Justin Wilson most recently lost his life after being struck by flying debris from Sage Karam’s car that stuck the outside barrier at Pocono.
Will a closed cockpit necessarily mean a driver is safer? The answer is a very difficult one.
Numerous safety concerns have to be considered for such a massive paradigm shift in single seat racing. For example, In hot conditions how is the driver helped stay cool at hot races? Or in the opposite scenario, how do you prevent fogging of the windscreen? At high speed also would wipers still work on a closed cockpit for a single seater?
Furthermore serious questions also have to be considered. For this example, I will use Sergio Perez’ FP1 crash in Hungary to go through different scenario’s of what is the downsides of a closed cockpit.
In Perez’ crash the front right tyre digs into the ground causing the car to roll, as the car lays to rest it is upside down with the current roll hoop above the drivers head doing it’s job. Now imagine that a canopy was there also as is the most proposed idea in the loop.
How does Sergio get out? With the car upside down the canopy is now forced shut, how do the marshals ensure he is okay? Adding further scenarios to the equation could mean asking what if the fuel cell was damaged and his car was on fire. How then does Sergio ensure he can get out safely despite this? Furthermore, imagine if the impact was severe enough to render him unconscious. You’re presented with a horrific scenario with a driver unconscious, trapped inside a car that could be on fire, survival chances decrease dramatically.
Now, I personally believe that safety is paramount in this sport, no matter of tradition should sway this argument either. It is clear something needs to be done. Drivers are going to be always at risk, this is what makes single seater racing exciting, we need to see these drivers doing something special and gladiatorial and to be doing it at the highest level.
But whatever is done needs to be researched, designed and testing extremely thoroughly and rigorously to ensure the right implementation is made into the sport.
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