Bianchi Accident: Closed cockpits “simple” to implement
Questioned following the accident of Jules Bianchi, Rob Smedley addressed the issue of closed cockpits in Formula 1, while questioning their supposed effectiveness in the Frenchman's crash.
The accident at the Japanese Grand Prix and the critical condition of Jules Bianchi have reignited the discussion on the possibility of enclosing the cockpit of Formula 1 cars.
The FIA has been working on the issue of closed cockpits – with hoops, windshields, or canopies – for a long time. However, according to Rob Smedley, these might not have better protected the French driver who suffered a violent deceleration following the impact, estimated between 140 and 160 km/h, against the recovery vehicle that was maneuvering to remove Adrian Sutil’s Sauber.
Such an arrangement remains possible, however: « From a technical point of view, it’s something very easy to implement. It’s something we’ve studied in many technical working group meetings and we’ve gone back and forth. Would it have made a difference in Jules’ accident, I don’t know. We don’t know the resistance of a car in this type of accident. It’s a terrible accident, » he stated to ESPN.
For Williams’ performance leader, this could challenge the fundamental nature of Formula 1, with open cockpit cars since the discipline’s inception in 1950. But it doesn’t bother him: « It would change the look of F1 cars […] Would it change Formula 1 a bit? I think if you compare the 2014 cars to the 1950 cars, when the championship started, they’re not really similar. So whether or not aesthetics could be an argument, then I would say no for me, but other people, maybe, » he explains.
To the question of whether visibility could be an issue in bad weather, Rob Smedley responded that it is not a problem, citing the example of Endurance prototypes: « There are cars that do the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the dark, and I have attended a few editions under heavy rain. I am sure that the very smart people who design these cars have worked around the visibility problem. Again, I don’t think that’s a very strong argument. »
He reveals that the issue of closed cockpits has been discussed over the last five years and continues to be analyzed: « It’s something we’ve studied in many technical working group meetings. It’s something that was put on the table in 2009 when Felipe had his accident. It’s something we’ve studied; it’s something that has progressed but also regressed. It is not a closed topic to this day, » he concludes.
The solution of an additional safety hoop abandoned
At the same time, *Autosport* indicated yesterday that the decision was made in 2013 to end research on a safety hoop at the front of the cockpits – [solution discussed in 2012](#) – following a Strategic Group meeting in October. At the time, the FIA stated it would only continue its costly research if it had the support of the teams. However, neither Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 commercial rights holder, nor Red Bull director Christian Horner, nor former McLaren and Mercedes directors Martin Whitmarsh and Ross Brawn supported the initiative, deeming the device horribly ugly.
If the safety hoop could protect the driver from objects potentially striking the helmet (like the spring that hit Felipe Massa during the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying), it is difficult to say what might have happened if such a device had been present on Jules Bianchi’s Marussia. This is especially since images of the accident showed that the safety hoop located behind the driver’s head gave way under the violent impact with the recovery vehicle.
