An updated version of IndyCar’s Aeroscreen cockpit protection device will make its debut at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The Aeroscreen 2.0 will be mandatory for all cars competing in road and street course races, which make up over 60 per cent of the points-paying races on this year’s calendar.
IndyCar introduced the Aeroscreen in June 2020 as a way to protect drivers from head and upper body injuries. It consists of a PPG-developed laminated polycarbonate ballistic windscreen which is reinforced with a titanium framework from Pankl. The American championship collaborated with Red Bull Advanced Technologies on the Aeroscreen’s development.
‘One of the objectives of doing a 2.0 version was to save weight,’ explained Tino Belli, director of aerodynamic development for IndyCar. ‘Then we’ve taken that opportunity to also make the styling nicer, improve the driver ventilation, and make the thinner polycarbonate as strong as the thicker polycarbonate.’ The weight of the Aeroscreen has been reduced from 8.5kg to 6.6kg, representing a saving of 1.9kg or almost 23 per cent. Additionally, the series has mandated a 3D-printed titanium frame that has been used since the first race of the current season. The new frame, which IndyCar says has equal strength to its predecessor, chops 3kg off the weight of that part, meaning that the total system has shed around 5kg since the first iteration. Belli has estimated that the we...