It's Official: 'Closed Cockpits' In Formula 1 Are Happening
On Tuesday it was reported that a new elimination-style qualifying format had been approved for 2016 following meetings of the Strategy Group and F1 Commission. Now we have confirmation of that, as well as several other potential big changes for next year.
Cockpit safety has been a hot topic in single-seater racing for some time, but pressure to bring in more driver protection unsurprisingly increased following the tragic deaths of Jules Bianchi – nine months after his horrific Japanese Grand Prix crash in October 2014 – and IndyCar’s Justin Wilson in 2015.
Motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, and F1 teams have invested heavily in researching and analysing different options for cockpit safety, in a bid to provide drivers with improved safety while preventing side-effects like compromised vision and difficulty in driver extraction.
Various different designs have appeared in recent months, from halo-style concepts to jet canopies. The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association has also completed research and stated at the beginning of the year that it was time something to shield the cockpit was introduced.
The FIA’s statement on the results of the F1 Commission meeting in Geneva says it “intends” to introduce some form of cockpit protection in 2017, with the halo being the “preferred choice”, but other options will continue to be looked into.
The unusual elimination-style qualifying format has now been confirmed and could “potentially” debut as early as this season. Meanwhile a “Driver of the Day” award will be handed out at each race, voted by the fans. The deadline for the 2017 regulations has been deferred to the 30 April.
Meanwhile bodywork changes have been proposed, with wider front wings, lower and wider rear wings, wider floors and tyres, in a bid to increase top speeds and cut lap times. But all of these rules still have to be ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council before becoming a reality.
Comments
not happy about this
I wish we’d stop using the misnomer “closed cockpit” for the halo solution, since by all wording and historical precedent, is not a closed cockpit.
Yeah.. No…
F1 istnt watchable for few years now. And they are making it worse year by year…
WEC it is for me!
Oh God! Please don’t let it happen…Closed cockpits on F1 cars are horrible…We got weird ugly nose and then this??? Aw comeon!
I don’t think a closed cockpit is a bad idea. But if that Mercedes example halo thingy wins I think there just might be a slight visibility problem … and at those speeds, I don’t think reduced visibility is gonna be too safe …
For F 1 all they need to do is look at the NHRA drag racing as they’ve had closed cockpits on their top fuel dragster’s for 4years after a driver died by a wheel striking the head from a car that had an accident and the wheels broke off
Really people? The idea of a closed cockpit gets to you that much? You do realize that having a closed cockpit will make the vehicle more streamline, which will improve lap times. As for the halo idea. Yea that’s not going to pass because of the center bit which blocks part of the view.
The point is not to make it more streamline (which is true but which would also slightly increase frontal area), but to keep the essence of single-seaters, and to let the driver jump off still quick and easy. A closed cockpit would address a too high risk in case of fire I believe, and I trust F1 teams in their research and assessment of solutions. If they seem to prefer the halo thing, then it means that must be the best option. I guess that’s another bit that can be exploited for downforce… And that narrow thin is really not a thing, they usually have a pitot just a bit further down the bodywork anyway.
I would rather have a glass or anyway of glass
Meanwhile in MotoGp
I’m calling for closed cockpits in MotoGp!
Ok , now that safety is going to be out of question, let the mechanics go crazy and make machines like 20 and more years ago. This is what people wabt to see.
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