Formula 1: Closed cockpit yes or no?

"From a technical point of view, such an introduction is quite simple. It would mainly change the appearance of a Formula 1 car, and there are aesthetic arguments against it. The open-wheel characteristics as well as the open cockpit have distinguished these cars so far. We have dealt with this in countless meetings in the technical working group. These things came up back in 2009 after Felipe Massa's accident," Rob Smedley, head of vehicle performance at Williams, told racecar-engineering.com.

Halo system to be introduced in 2017
A "probable" introduction of the closed - or at least a half-closed cockpit, became a definite one. "The drivers are convinced that extra protection for the driver's head must come in 2017 at the latest," Alexander Wurz, president of the GPDA drivers' union, told motorsport-total.com.

Work is currently underway to introduce the "halo system" developed by Mercedes in 2017. This is a support strut mounted in the center in front of the driver, from which a ring extends around the driver's helmet.

Former Formula 1 test and development driver Anthony Davidson tested one of the early development stages on the simulator. "It wasn't too bad. The central suspension was only minimally irritating. You get used to it like a center windshield wiper. And I was still able to see better than in a closed sports car," the Toyota WEC driver shared his conclusion on Sky Sports F1.

Solution still needs to be worked out
However, the "halo system" is said to be only the beginning of this development. Meanwhile, it is also clear that a roof nevertheless does not guarantee the safety of the drivers. "Total protection is impossible and there are things that can penetrate a closed cockpit," Wurz said.

"Besides, visibility would be a disadvantage if it rained or a competitor lost oil. How do you clean that up then? What happens in the event of a fire? You'd have to consider all that. But the research clearly says it would be a good solution, but would take a few years to implement."

The cost of a closed cockpit also plays a role. "A proper jet cockpit, as used on interceptors, would perhaps be slightly better than the halo system, but much heavier and extremely much more expensive," Wurz indicated.

One thing is certain: Development is only at the beginning. There's still a lot of testing to be done. Danil Kvyat sums it up for racecar-engineering.com: "I think that when things like this happen, you should first take a step back. Then you should take the time to calculate and test everything and then decide which solution is the best. It like everyone says: Why not? But it has to be based on solidly tested data and facts."

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Photo: Mercedes