There is an inevitable question raised in the aftermath of any accident where the driver of an open cockpit car suffers a head injury. ?Should closed cockpits be used instead of open ones, and indeed why are open cockpits used at all"?
This question was raised in the wake of the fatal accidents suffered by Dan Wheldon and Henry Surtees and the near fatal accident of Felipe Massa. More recently Jules Bianchi?s horrific crash at the Japanese Grand Prix, Maria De Villota testing crash in England and the death of Justin Wilson has again brought the topic to the table.
Indeed for 2017 additional cockpit protection systems have been included in the draft technical regulations though the details of them is vague at best. Despite this a number of designs have been subjected to both static and dynamic tests. ?We should at least check and try or test the idea of closed cockpits? Fernando Alonso told the press following Bianchi?s crash. ?We have the technology, we have aeroplanes, we have had many other samples that they use in a successful way so why not think about it" All the biggest accidents in motor sport over the last couple of years have been head injuries so it?s probably one part where we are not at the top of safety.?
Open cockpits have been part of Formula 1 and other open wheel classes since the birth of the sport, of a time it was felt that it would be quicker to get out of a car on fire with an open cockpit, but then that was the same argument used against h...