The open debate on closed cockpits

[Mancsfinest]

The enclosed cockpit didn't do much for Allan Simonsen in 2013 at Le Mans in his Aston Martin Vantage GTE.

serioulsy tho ,at high speed head on into a wall,with a hans device or not even front or side i think the results would have been the same ,and its a full carbon monocoque gt anyway the Aston not a "enclosed",enclosed is like the single seater lmp cars ,which have a canopy covering the driver ,not meaning to try being a smart ass,so sorry in advance

 

[Georg Siebert]

Brilliant analysis by Craig Scarborough on a potential design for a closed cockpt:
It indeed started to sway my opinion on them.

 

[Leonardo Chaves]

If anyone is against closed cockpits because aesthetic fears, now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

I hate it when the FIA makes the cars slower in the name of safety, it's ridiculous that cars from 10 years ago are way faster than what we have now.

You might think so, but with the downforce levels and g-force experienced in 2004, drivers complained about blackouts, and dizziness. We didn't get close to the theoretical car-levels, however, we started to see F1 closing in on what the human body can handle without help.
The Firestone Firehawk 600 is also a good read on the effect g-forces can have, that race got cancelled, but not before Paul Tracy had set the fastest with 380.896 km/h on average through the lap. While it was a bit behind the record set by Gil De Ferran the year before (388.541 km/h), they experienced more g-forces more often.

 

[Steve William]

it will increase the aerodynamics, and it will protect the drivers
i cant see the downside of it!

The heat, dirt, stuck inside, are just things you find solutions to, this is formula 1 not go c
kart racing...

 

[Dan Allen]

it will increase the aerodynamics, and it will protect the drivers
i cant see the downside of it!

The heat, dirt, stuck inside, are just things you find solutions to, this is formula 1 not go c
kart racing...

So you don't think that if the cockpit say, starts to get condensation on the inside, they would need to add things like dehumidifiers to the car, adding extra weight. The canopy alone will add extra weight too.

 

[Steve William]

So you don't think that if the cockpit say, starts to get condensation on the inside, they would need to add things like dehumidifiers to the car, adding extra weight. The canopy alone will add extra weight too.

Inside the helmet of F1 drivers there is heating elements that prevent fogging
(Anti Fog Visor) , they can use the same thing!
Also an extra 20 or so kgs for some extra safety is better than nothing.

 

[Dan Allen]

Inside the helmet of F1 drivers there is heating elements that prevent fogging
(Anti Fog Visor) , they can use the same thing!
Also an extra 20 or so kgs for some extra safety is better than nothing.

Sorry, but I gotta respectfully disagree with that. If the drivers have to stay extra fit and healthy to keep the weight down, why bugger that up by putting extra features on the car...

 

[Steve William]

Sorry, but I gotta respectfully disagree with that. If the drivers have to stay extra fit and healthy to keep the weight down, why bugger that up by putting extra features on the car...

Agree to Disagree, since i dont really think having a closed cockpit changes anything...
drivers have to stay fit in both cases, they have to fight G forces and have to deal with the intense heat during races .
My opinion, having a closed cockipit will make it a bit safer.

 

[Leonardo Chaves]

You might think so, but with the downforce levels and g-force experienced in 2004, drivers complained about blackouts, and dizziness. We didn't get close to the theoretical car-levels, however, we started to see F1 closing in on what the human body can handle without help.
The Firestone Firehawk 600 is also a good read on the effect g-forces can have, that race got cancelled, but not before Paul Tracy had set the fastest with 380.896 km/h on average through the lap. While it was a bit behind the record set by Gil De Ferran the year before (388.541 km/h), they experienced more g-forces more often.

Only Trulli complained after a crash in Silverstone (as far as i remember), by 2006 they were cornering at higher speeds just fine.

I remember a CART race that was cancelled because one of those superspeedways had a bump, the drivers could handle the constant lateral load, but not the sudden impact from below.

Drivers being pushed to their limits was always a thing in the 80's and 90's often ending the races in terrible pain, but since 2010 with no refueling and 2011 with tires that need to be "saved" drivers have had it too easy imo.