I'd say her career is almost certainly over, at a top level anyway, the lack of binocular vision means her depth perception will be gone. From the reports yesterday I thought she'd be okay other than some disfigurment, now my and Kyles rather tongue in cheek comments seem in poorer taste than they were originally.
I dont think any changes will come from this. Its obviously something that would never happen at a race or even official test. Still a lot to find out about how this happened before we question saftey as well. Yes you can still die in F1 but right now it would take a freak accident and we can never fully prevent those. Nothing is ever completely safe. Protect the drivers head more and suddenly they cant see as well or it becomes harder to get out in an emergency.
No doubt about it. Her dream is over. A sad and terrible event. It's bad news for F1 as a whole, which is currently evaluating various alternatives for increased head protection. Until now open wheel racing has always been 'open cockpit' too. Unfortunately, it may not be too long before we have to bid farewell to this Golden Era for goodâ¦
I'm not sure that covered cockpits could ever be an answer... As mentioned above, they would bring their own dangers. Imagine and overturned car with an injured driver and the problems of removing the cover to extract the driver. Not all danger can be extracted from the sport, and although none of us want to see crashes and least of all injury, would motor sport have the same draw if drivers we contained in 100% safe bubbles? Part of the excitement comes of motor sport comes from the fact that it's inherently dangerous, and those that have to balls to push the envelope rise to the top.
You are right. Well put. Danger is what makes F1 what it is. But I wish Maria a speedy recovery none the less.
Yes. As I said, various methods are being evaluated; but they all have their drawbacks. Personally, I hope it doesn't happen but the Health and Safety Executive have been at Duxford today and I know well enough that they have a habit of making recommendations which often materialise into a change of law! Your argument is valid, Bhaji. Then again, in a generalised sense, similar criticisms were levelled at the proposed introduction of car seat-belts!
I hear ya, Cosi re the seatbelt point. I'm not saying it isn't the way to go, just concerned what the evils of a cover may be.
I have a feeling given the way the HSE operate, F1 cars will soon look like this; please log in to view this image
It doesn't work for me, F1 cars should be open cockpit, open wheeled. One man against 23 others and the elements, with only his trusty steed and a voice in his ear as his companions. EDIT: The car shown is the Red Bull x2010, designed for Gran Turismo by a Mr. A. Newey. It has 1500BHP, and full ground effects.
I had a nasty accident at a crosroads years ago, the cops said the only reason they didn't bust me for not wearing one was because if I had I'd be dead. No doubt they save more lives than they take, but there's always going to be a circumstances that turn it on it's head.
Exactly. There are always exceptions to every rule. For instance, I am aware of two motorcyclists who died as a result of suffocation induced by wearing a helmet; but surely one must weigh the odds when considering safety which is otherwise out of one's hands? To put it another way, this is where statistical benefits are weighed against potential drawbacks. No measures can be 100% safe; nor can they be totally free of some negative aspect, however unlikely it may be. This is precisely what the HSE use as a formula when presenting their authoritative opinion and any recommendation(s).
I was involved in a head on accident a few years ago in a van carrying spare wheels, changers and tools for an F5000 car. Everything went through the windscreen including me as I luckily wasn't wearing a seatbelt. However, I wouldn't dream of not wearing a belt now. And, if we all wore helmets in road cars there would be far fewer fatalities. It's a question of how far we are prepared to protect ourselves from the unexpected without spoiling the fun. In single seater racing there's no doubt some sort of head protection would have saved a few lives in the past. Henry Surtees and Ayrton Senna come to mind. A full canopy might be going too far, but side bars fitted to the roll bar could be a possibility.
The major threat to drivers these days is being struck on the head by an object, be it another car, a piece of debris, the ground, or in this case, a parked lorry. The risk of a canopy threatening a driver is minimal by comparison. The only instant of a canopy perhaps being hazardous in an accident was Kubica's, however I think in that kind of incident the greater risk would still be a blow to the head by a piece of his own car and the roll hoop digging into soft ground, rather than being trapped in a burning vehicle.
How quickly would Nick Heidfeld have been able to get out of his Lotus if the release mechanism for the canopy had slightly warped when it caught fire last season?
