And the FIA does not take the subject lightly. Secondly it is unfair because the FIA is a long way from deciding on the type of closed cockpit it would want to implement - in any category - if it needed or wanted to. As Sage Karem's car bounced off the wall on Sunday, the debris flew around his car and down the banked oval track, which is what allowed his nose cone to bounce so violently and tragically towards Wilson. Firstly, as Wilson's death proves, Ind圜ar has a higher risk of drivers being hurt by flying objects due to the nature of oval circuits where cars often go three- or four-wide and debris can easily be deflected back onto the racing line. The blanket term of a "closed cockpit", and the idea that that blanket term is the solution for open wheel racing, is unfair for several reasons. In July, after Bianchi succumbed to his injuries, Felipe Massa, who suffered life-threatening injuries at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix when struck in the head by a loose spring, echoed Alonso's statement, but only if it was "better for everybody" and did not radically alter the DNA of Formula One. "All the biggest accidents in motorsport in the last couple of years have been head injuries so it's probably one of the parts where we are not on the top of the safety." "We are in 2014, we have the technology, we have aeroplanes and many other examples used in a successful way, so why not to think about it?" the Spaniard said. Immediately after Bianchi's crash, former double world champion Fernando Alonso led the calls for F1 to seriously consider closed cockpits. While Ind圜ar's last fatality was in recent memory (Dan Wheldon in 2011), Bianchi became the first F1 driver to be killed as the result of an accident since Ayrton Senna in 1994. It comes at a sensitive time for Formula One, just six weeks after Bianchi lost his fight against the serious brain injury he suffered in Suzuka following a 126km/h collision with a recovery vehicle. The loss of any driver from a flying object reignites the debate around closed cockpits and the idea open wheel racing should take this radical step to ensure this can never happen again. Wilson's crash was very much like Jules Bianchi's last year at the Japanese Grand Prix in the sense it was a case of wrong place, wrong moment as he struck the loose nose cone of Sage Karem's car, which had crashed further along the circuit. It is easy to watch the video of the crash which claimed the life of former F1 driver Justin Wilson in Sunday's Indycar race at Pocono Raceway and immediately conclude closed cockpits are the next logical step to prevent future fatalities in motor racing. The favored Halo concept was originally designed by Mercedes-Benz Motorsports with FIA taking over the development process and conducted a round of testing last fall.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser Rumors of a partially closed cockpit design being used in Formula 1 cars surfaced late last year, following the death of Justin Wilson. The FIA, teams and official tire suppliers are also discussing the best solution for testing of the new tires as part of the regulations. The new regulations will also deliver additional downforce to increase speeds and lower lap times. The announcement comes as the F1 Commision also confirms new bodywork regulations in hopes of creating more dynamic Formula 1 cars starting in 2017. SEE ALSO: FIA Testing Safer Closed Cockpit Designs Next Month The decision isn’t final, however, as other options including transparent cockpit protection is still under consideration and being evaluated. The FIA said in a statement that all stakeholders are working together to make closed cockpits a reality and currently the “Halo” concept (seen above) is the preferred option. The F1 Commission has confirmed its intention to introduce some form of cockpit protection starting in the 2017 season. Formula 1 race cars will be much safer and look quite different starting in 2017.
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