F1 cars set to become even uglier

[mattikake]

...and visibility even more restricted.

http://www.institutequarterly.com/06-Video.html

Forward roll hoops. They've got to do something I guess. Maybe they could ditch the raised cockpit sides and replace with a side roll bar as well?

[sherman]

They would be as well to just enclose the cockpit totally with a jet fighter canopy then . The red bull prototype is sounding more realistic with every "improvement" the FIA make

[zac510]

How did you derive from "FIA Testing" that "F1 cars set to be"?

You should work for a tabloid with that sort of jumping to conclusions

[Ahonen]

"Set to" is a proper Autosport website headline. Other frequently used phrases in Autosport.com headlines include:

"Driver X hails progress of blah, blah, blah."
"Driver X calls on team for more development."
"Managing tyres..."
"Driver X hoping for progress."
"Driver X expects improvements."
"Blah blah is key to progress."
"Driver X edges away in..." (Rallying, mainly).
"Loeb closes on victory."

I suspect Roebuck would have most of them shot if he was still there.

[Teppic]

Ahonen said:

"Set to" is a proper Autosport website headline. Other frequently used phrases in Autosport.com headlines include:

"Driver X hails progress of blah, blah, blah."
"Driver X calls on team for more development."
"Managing tyres..."
"Driver X hoping for progress."
"Driver X expects improvements."
"Blah blah is key to progress."
"Driver X edges away in..." (Rallying, mainly).
"Loeb closes on victory."

I suspect Roebuck would have most of them shot if he was still there.

Also whenever there is a miniscule change to a cars aerodynamics or bodywork, it is invariably described as "Radical".

[Rude-boy]

There is a very good reason it is referred to as 'one of the comics'.

[DanDC5]

sherman said:

They would be as well to just enclose the cockpit totally with a jet fighter canopy then . The red bull prototype is sounding more realistic with every "improvement" the FIA make

Apparently a canopy has been used in a similar test but it shattered. Would look cool if they ended up looking like the X1 though.

[EDLT]

DanDC5 said:

sherman said:

They would be as well to just enclose the cockpit totally with a jet fighter canopy then . The red bull prototype is sounding more realistic with every "improvement" the FIA make

Apparently a canopy has been used in a similar test but it shattered. Would look cool if they ended up looking like the X1 though.

It didn't shatter, it worked rather well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e87HIlOIYFA

[kambites]

EDLT said:

It didn't shatter, it worked rather well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e87HIlOIYFA

Surely that's got to be the better solution then, if they do anything at all. It would solve the problem of small parts like the spring that hit Massa better than a front mounted cage, too.

[DanDC5]

EDLT said:

DanDC5 said:

sherman said:

They would be as well to just enclose the cockpit totally with a jet fighter canopy then . The red bull prototype is sounding more realistic with every "improvement" the FIA make

Apparently a canopy has been used in a similar test but it shattered. Would look cool if they ended up looking like the X1 though.

It didn't shatter, it worked rather well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e87HIlOIYFA

Slight error, the polycarbonate one shattered, the canopy as seen in the video flexes. The FIA weren't happy with either of those results so they're currently favouring the roll hoop.

[kimducati]

sherman said:

They would be as well to just enclose the cockpit totally with a jet fighter canopy then . The red bull prototype is sounding more realistic with every "improvement" the FIA make

Can of worms IMHO.
Would get a bit warm (minor understatement) in there at pretty much any venue, so would need an aircon system fitting.
If it rains, it would mist up like a b*****d, so would also need to be electrically heated or similar, so two more electrical systems there to go wrong -think of it, retired from the lead two laps from chequered flag due to windscreen misting up!!
I know that some momentum has built up over this subject after the Massa and more tragically Henry Surtees incidents, but this is motor sport and there will always be risk involved. Just dont let the 'fix' become more of a problem than the original one.

Kim

[Life Saab Itch]

sherman said:

They would be as well to just enclose the cockpit totally with a jet fighter canopy then . The red bull prototype is sounding more realistic with every "improvement" the FIA make

Can I just point something out here; the Red Bull thing is a computer game car. It is no more real than a 4 minute 45 lap of the nurburgring in a Toyota Group C car.

Red Bull found that there were so many geeks masturbating into their keyboards about this car that they decided to make a dummy replica. It has precisely 0 working parts on it.


That, to me, is not a prototype. It's a cynical marketing tool.

[Fire99]

Just leave the bloody cars alone. F1 is an open wheel, open cockpit class. If that doesn't suit you, go and do DTM or similar.

[Streps]

Fire99 said:

Just leave the bloody cars alone. F1 is an open wheel, open cockpit class. If that doesn't suit you, go and do DTM or similar.

I guess the front rollbar will be similar to those used on the Mclaren M23 for example
you can see it through the front screen in the picture.


Fia are doing a good job with car safety.
I think the cars should remain open cockpit.. and any safety devices should not make the cars hidious.

I feel Felipe massas close shave and Henry Surtees sadly fatal crash were freak accidents.
They were extremely unlikely and unusual..and i hope no knee jerk reactions are needed.
The cars have never been safer fortunately...but there will always be a danger somewhere.

[Teppic]

Streps said:

I guess the front rollbar will be similar to those used on the Mclaren M23 for example
you can see it through the front screen in the picture.

In the FIA test video though it looks like the idea is that the driver will be looking through the structure rather than over the top of it.

[DanDC5]

Life Saab Itch said:

sherman said:

They would be as well to just enclose the cockpit totally with a jet fighter canopy then . The red bull prototype is sounding more realistic with every "improvement" the FIA make

Can I just point something out here; the Red Bull thing is a computer game car. It is no more real than a 4 minute 45 lap of the nurburgring in a Toyota Group C car.

Red Bull found that there were so many geeks masturbating into their keyboards about this car that they decided to make a dummy replica. It has precisely 0 working parts on it.


That, to me, is not a prototype. It's a cynical marketing tool.

It was also just being used as an example to make a point

[Streps]

Teppic said:

In the FIA test video though it looks like the idea is that the driver will be looking through the structure rather than over the top of it.

It will certainly not help with visibility then!
it's just about on the limit now with the low driver position.

[Butter Face]

Teppic said:

Streps said:

I guess the front rollbar will be similar to those used on the Mclaren M23 for example
you can see it through the front screen in the picture.

In the FIA test video though it looks like the idea is that the driver will be looking through the structure rather than over the top of it.

Which will surely ruin their vision? I can't imagine driving at those speeds trying to look through that!

[Forbes82]

I don't understand from the picture and video in the link. If that is the position of the roll bar relative to helmet height then how is that not going to be ridiculously restricting of vision? I'd feel alot safer with full forward vision and no roll bar.

[scubadude]

The FIA need to MTFU.

Motorsport is dangerous which makes it exciting and competitive, if you turn it into a computer game with no consequences its no longer a sport, it struggles to have credibility at present, stuff like this is just for tree-hugging, willy-waving, Daily Mail reading, Cowards who have no place even watching motorsport let alone farting about with the rules and regs.

Just IMVHO of course...