I've got 3 cars so it will be properly tested. I had a BMW 7 series with auto detection wipers. I must admit I am fussy about really cleaning screens and wiper blades, so will work at ensuring thorough cleanliness. (pity it doesn't fill the minor chips too
Interesting idea but studies done previously have actually proven that a canopy would be more dangerous. Just think about it sensibly, how many occurances are there of objects coming anywhere near a drivers head? Maybe one per season at present? Compare that with the number of occurances of a driver having to get out of his car quickly and easily which are much more frequent. A canopy would hinder this and could even prevent escape is release mechanisms failed.
first comment from me on this site for F1. Great article. since 606 finihsed i thought i'd not get any f1 chat. looking forward to reading more stuff like this. i love how this went into all sorts of engineering solutions for the everyday guy too.
OK, one last time, and with description so you can visualise. A car flips, which is not uncommon in OPEN WHEEL competition, lands upside dwn, not uncommon in OPEN WHEEL competition and catches fire, how ya gonna get him out now? all you've done is throw a big obstacle in the way.
Maybe the canopy could have a high power release thing so if the car is upside down and you press the big red button then it would flip the car over onto its wheels James Bond style.
Yeah with the flipper thing, maybe F1 cars should have one it could be their front wing and when they get up close to the car in front they could flip them out of the way.
Someone will get disqualified for having a flipper that was too big, or they were maybe hot blowing their flipper?
I'd just like to comment on a few of the issues that have been raised with this idea: - The fire issue: The risk of major fires in F1 is minimal now. Gone are the days of exploding fuel tanks due to tightening regulations, strictly governing which materials can be used, structural requirements of the floor and crash structure, and even valves fitted to all fuel lines to prevent fuel leaks. Fires these days tend to be small oil or exhaust fires which are quickly put out by marshalls, mechanics and sometimes even the driver using a fire extinguisher. Also, in response to the situation Miggins described of a driver becoming trapped in an upside down, burning car; how would you get him out without the canopy? - Canopy becoming stuck shut: Highly unlikely. This happens in road cars because steel is highly deformable and the A-pillars are designed to absorb the load in a crash, meaning the doors can become fixed shut (although you'd be surprised how many modern road cars have doors which still open after massive shunts). In a formula one car this is less of an issue because the survival cell isn't designed to deform, and if loads were reached sufficiently high enough to deform the cockpit, the G loadings would be unsurvivable any how. The only real issues I can see are the in-cockpit temperatures, and the visibility of the driver. I'm sure the temperature thing could be solved by introducing air-con systems and increasing the weight limit. The visibility issue could be harder to solve if the canopy is getting plastered by marbles of rubber and dead flies, or potentially scratched by dirt or sand. Again there are probably ways around this, the aerodynamic shape of the canopy could deflect flies/mosquitoes over the top, much like the way a road car does with snow, Pirelli could also be asked to redevelop their compound so they don't shed chunks of rubber and scratch resistant coatings could be applied to the canopy. Another plus in favour of the canopy is the added protection it would offer to a driver landing upside down in gravel or damp grass. At the end of the day the concerns with this seem rather trifling considering the high tech nature of the sport.
I know it's not exactly a canopy, but the Mercedes SLS has gullwing doors, which, if you've rolled it won't open. That's why mercedes fitted a little safety measure that blows the door off the car if it's upturned, so the occupants can get out safely. Maybe f1 could implement a similar system, that blows the canopy off so the driver can get out
if the F1 car was upside down and the canopy was 'Blown off' then it would just blow into the ground lmao
Absolutely Glorious: your last contribution is excellent. You make present some really good points. You mention visibility, but oddly enough this could actually become improved: Currently a driver is almost lying on the floor with head raised to the absolute minimum in order to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible, as well as reducing aerodynamic disturbance. Of course, the argument for Cg still remains but a canopy would eliminate all concerns about a driver's effect on aerodynamics. I can envisage a situation where this allows a raising of the head position, especially if incorporated into regulations, which, for instance; could demand a minimum head height.
Good point. They also currently state a minimum distance between the roll hoop and the top of the driver's crash helmet which causes the driver to sit low, this could be reduced with a canopy because there's less danger of 'digging in' if they roll it. Sauber were checking Kobayashi's in FP1 at Silverstone, ironically he almost rolled it later in the session.
Precisely what I was getting at. Obviously if a canopy were ever adopted, it would come with very exacting regulations which one would hope will properly address all of these issues. +Rep for your earlier post.
I am neither for or against the canopy idea, but as stated above there would be several benefits to safety and probably give the designers another area to work on in relation to Cg. With F1 trying to align itself with road technology it would surely make sence to incorportae an enclosed canopy, and I am sure the potential problem of being upside down would be solveable. Afterall, if a current F1 car were upside down, it would take a lot longer than 7 seconds to get a driver out - especially if he were unconscious! Surely there would be Le Mans technology that would be transferable and if not, how do they get round the issues of a trapped driver and screen visabilty?
It's not the safest idea, but couldn't a team of marshalls just flip the car back to the right way. F1 cars are really light. 3 or 4 burly marshalls ought to get the job done.
If the canopy were fireproof and they had some sort of firewall behind the driver then it could help protect drivers from fires.
Yes, Smithers; there is loads of available technology and you are correct: sports cars ('Le Mans') do not suffer adversely - although being far closer to the concept of a road car, they are of course very different. The 'upside-down' point raised earlier in the thread is not a problem. In fact it may be that a canopy could be made to increase safety in this scenario too: not only does it afford extra protection to the head, it also encloses a volume of air, into which oxygen can be pumped. For instance, if, after an accident, a driver does not press a button within a certain time, it could trigger an automatic oxygen supply, which is more effective when not dissipated to the atmosphere.
