The halo or the canopy - or is there a danger in trying to be too safe?
Thursday 19 May 2016 11:30, UK
Niki Lauda has echoed the sentiments of Bernie Ecclestone by warning F1 risks 'ruining' its own DNA if it commits to the introduction of cockpit protection.
The sport's governing body, the FIA confirmed in February they intended to introduce 'some form of cockpit protection from the 2017 season'. Since then, Ferrari have trialled a 'halo' concept - which the FIA has described two months ago as its 'preferred option' - while Red Bull debuted their own proposal, an aeroscreen canopy, in practice for the Russian GP.
However, two of F1's biggest hitters are concerned that F1's decision shouldn't be between the halo and canopy but whether or not the sport ought to introduce cockpit protection at all.
"Whatever we do in the future we need to make sure we don't ruin the DNA of F1," said Lauda, the former world champion who now acts as an non-executive chairman at Mercedes. "If we come up with cars where everything is covered, you don't see the drivers and you don't see the helmets, then we have to be careful. F1 today is safe."
"I don't like the screen and l don't think it is going to save anybody," agreed Ecclestone.
But according to Red Bull chief Christian Horner, the introduction of additional safety devices is already "inevitable".
Prior to its public debut at Sochi, Red Bull's canopy windscreen passed 'a deflection test' by withstanding the impact of a 20kg-weighted wheel fired at a speed of 225kmh.
However, could there also be a danger lurking in the sport's determination to pursue ever-enhanced safety levels?
"That's something I'd have expected the great Douglas Bader to have climbed out from, to be honest," said Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle after Red Bull's trial run. "The logical conclusion to all this for me is a driver-less racing car. If you're not prepared to take a risk then don't get inside a racing car."
Other critics have questioned whether drivers could be distracted by a glare on the windscreen and the danger of drivers potentially struggling to extract themselves from a crashed car if it was fitted with cockpit protection.
A scornful Ecclestone added: "As with everything in life, you need to look at the positives and the only thing is we will have a lot of pit-stops for when they come in to clean the screen."
Daniel Ricciardo, who conducted Red Bull's on-track trial in Sochi, acknowledged the potential flaw.
"That is something I asked about," he told the FIA's website. "A quick one for now is that during pit stops you will have a tear off system - NASCAR has something similar. Then you can get these coatings on the screens, I guess it works a bit like in the rain with the visor, you have the Rain-X or whatever, and the stuff just floats off. So oils and things like these get dispersed quite quickly. There are few short-term things which will be used if needed."
