“Please no!” Lewis Hamilton exclaimed in a post on his Instagram page, which has since been taken down. “This is the worst looking mod in Formula One history.”
Undoubtedly you have seen it by now. Dubbed the ‘halo device’ among the teams as a possible solution for increased cockpit protection, Ferrari ran a basic mock-up of what it imagines such a rig might look like.
The result, so succinctly summed by Lewis Hamilton, was less than beautiful. Possibly what grated most was that a far more aesthetically pleasing design was circulated last year, yet the first prototype has adopted none of the flowing lines that made the idea palatable.
To be fair to Ferrari, the crude structure was only superficial. It wasn’t at all functional, much less integral. Even if the maths on its design adds up and it’s ultimately adopted by the FIA, the end product would likely be at least partially removed from the image of 11 pairs of multi-coloured thongs racing down the pit straight Ferrari’s prototype evokes.
In short the halo design still has some way to go, and the divided opinion up and down the pit lane and in the homes of fans across the world is testament to this.
Whether it’s Nico Hülkenberg decrying the sterilising of the sport or Daniel Ricciardo shutting him down with accusations of unnecessary chest puffing, the claim and counterclaim of proponents and antagonists will occupy an increasingly significant part of the sport’s coverage. That’s until the FIA makes a call for the introduction of a solution in time for 2017.
Is it Formula One? Can Formula One still be Formula One if it is no longer open-cockpit racing? Is Formula One still truly open-cockpit considering how shrouded drivers already are in protective bodywork? What will the implications be for junior formulae less able to make such a change in the short medium term?
But among all these questions, already difficult to grapple with on their own, is whether this halfway house device is worth the trouble. Yes, it is additional protection not currently available to drivers, and yes, it has the potential to save a driver’s life from a flying tyre or other large piece of debris. However, are these types of accidents prevalent enough in the range of potential injurious accidents to say this device is a job well done? I’m just not sure it is.
The most recent serious accident involving preventable head damage at a grand prix weekend was a 700-gram spring detaching from Rubens Barrichello’s car and fracturing Felipe Massa’s skull at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. The halo device is unlikely to have prevented such an accident.
Near misses include the 2013 British Grand Prix, when debris from a litany of exploding tyres flew past the heads of drivers on some of the quickest parts of the track. A halo device is, again, unlikely to have prevented injury.
When Formula One has become so safe that the accidents against which we are guarding can only be described as ‘freak’, will only partially covering a driver’s head really do? If the nature of a freak accident is one that cannot be expected, is it enough to develop a solution that critically alters the DNA of a modern Formula One car but still leaves room for something to go wrong?
It is good and right that the FIA should be investigating ways to protect a driver from injury, and for the better part of the last three decades this has been a key part of its governance of the sport.
It is also refreshing to see that teams are committed to helping find a solution and that their natural competitiveness is driving innovation. Red Bull Racing is set to trial its own proposal on a demonstration car later in the year, and undoubtedly others will follow.
But if Formula One is ready to fundamentally alter its closed-cockpit nature, why not opt for total protection? The FIA Institute has already tested jet fighter-style canopies, and adopting such a solution would allow the sport to borrow heavily from an already developed database of knowledge un the use of canopy materials.
A canopy is safer, a canopy is a design already proven in fields far more dangerous and extreme than motorsport, and, if we’re honest, a canopy looks better. If we’re talking long-term design trends, take one look at McLaren’s futuristic and canopy-centred concept car, the MP4-X and tell me it doesn’t look cool.
With the sport’s current thinking on halo protection – and admittedly it remains in its early stages despite its planned implementation next year – safety would take a mere shuffle into the future, but with a canopy it would be a proper Formula One-sized leap.
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Michael Lamonato
Expert
That's also going to be one of the key points — drivers are already so hidden in the cars. But I think a canopy actually works for this problem. If spectators can see through it, there's potential to lower the bodywork around the driver a bit, which could result in them being even more visible.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Ha! It's a fine line, definitely. I guess he's been lucky to drive one of the more attractive cars of this generation.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Thanks, mate! Glad you liked it. Yeah, there is always the risk F1 screws up the looks, but if they work together genuinely (or perhaps, if they don't work together at all and instead get someone else to look at it objectively...), it can be achieved. If we're gonna rewrite the rules to incorporate a canopy, we may as well rewrite them sufficient to make the cars suit it. But then F1 can't even sort out something as simple as qualifying, so I definitely take your point!
Michael Lamonato
Expert
That's a good call, actually, that there are accidents that are risky without flying debris and such. It really does add up when you think about it. I think yes, there is always going to be some risk, and that risk is always part of what makes motorsport what it is — but I think in places we can mitigate that risk, we should do so. It's not as though closed cockpits will completely sterilise the risk factor. Cars will still crash and drivers will still find ways to hurt themselves if they push too hard/too stupidly — not that that's why motorsport is great, but rather there will still be the danger element to separate the grid according to who's willing to find the limit.
anon
Guest
"I will also say that the Massa injury from 2009 still makes me feel a bit queasy. Anything that may help avoid issues like this should be considered. Can you imagine what happens if something similar happens to Hamilton this year (well not Hamilton, just replace with someone we like…)?? Hehe Last year Kimi was lucky to not be decapitated in Austria. Alonso at Spa 2012 when Grosjean caused that first corner accident. Schumacher Abu Dhabi 2010 was another really close call. I think it's been pure luck that we haven't had a couple of deaths each decade since the 2000's. At some point you have to accept the risk as they do in MotoGP. There are plenty of series where the cars have enclosed cockpits.
Dexter The Hamster
Guest
Michael, good read as usual. I like your end assessment, lets jump ahead to the cool looking canopy that McLaren has shown (I seem to recall seeing a Ferrari concept car a few years back that had the canopy as well, but may be imagining that part). The problem I have seen, in F1 the practicalities of the sport will override the ascetics and if an "ugly" canopy system is quicker than the cool one we are thinking about, then it will be adopted (much like the noses that Harvey alludes to above). I will also say that the Massa injury from 2009 still makes me feel a bit queasy. Anything that may help avoid issues like this should be considered. Can you imagine what happens if something similar happens to Hamilton this year (well not Hamilton, just replace with someone we like...)?? Any step towards safety has to be embraced and the details worked through.
anon
Guest
It's open cockpit racing. If drivers think the risk is too great then don't participate. It's already hard enough to see out of a cockpit without having a beam right in the middle of your field of vision.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
Hamilton has a short memory. Halo looks better than the droopy noses on the cars last year. Looked like a runny nose on some.