zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Here's Formula One's Latest Attempt At Closing In The Cockpit
Here's Formula One's Latest Attempt At Closing In The Cockpit-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:21

Get ready for another round of Formula One’s —if you—because the FIA recently shared photos of its newest idea for cockpit protection: the shield. It’ll be tested at the British Grand Prix Friday, and the Verizon IndyCar Series is already looking at something similar.

That sounds like a quick turnaround from announcement to testing, but a from the FIA said the goal with this idea is to “get initial feedback from drivers at the earliest possible stage of development.” There’s also the fact that F1 is already going to be in giving drivers the head protection that , but that’s totally a minor detail. Totally.

Ferrari will test it out first, and the FIA described the shield and its development as such in its announcement:

A transparent open canopy system constructed using polycarbonate, the Shield is aimed at providing significant protection from debris, while ensuring unrestricted forward vision for the driver.

A possible geometry [shown above] has been developed and the FIA is currently working with teams in Formula One on further defining its geometry. A number of indoor and outdoor tests are currently being conducted and the Federation’s target is to carry out a first full track test at Monza in September.

The shield is the newest addition to a long line of attempts at head protection in F1, since after the deaths of F1 driver and IndyCar driver due to head injuries sustained in crashes.

But it’s already 2017, and we can still see all of their heads bobbling in the open air every race weekend. And whether you’re a big fan of tradition and “the look of the car” or not, keeping the cockpit open is . Drivers can’t race if their heads aren’t intact, and the racing is what we’re here to see.

F1’s sanctioning body, the series and individual teams have tried to pitch in with the effort, testing the halo and different styles of windshields on cars. The halo, a wishbone-style bar over the cockpit, didn’t go well, with and three-time champion Lewis Hamilton simply . At the time, he said the cars were “perfectly fine” as is.

Red Bull’s F1 team last year, but this new style of “shield” looks exponentially better than their design.

But no matter which idea wins out, reports that the FIA promised some sort of head protection over the cockpit by next year. IndyCar’s president of competition and operations also told that the stateside open-wheel cars will be testing something similar over the next few months, since the series has been “working on potential applications for more than a year now.”

As for F1, the FIA shared just one image of the shield, low quality and cropped as you see above. Whether that’s oddly on purpose or reminiscent of the , the world may never know.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Stadium Super Trucks, My Favorite Racing Series in the World, Has Been Banned in Australia
Stadium Super Trucks, My Favorite Racing Series in the World, Has Been Banned in Australia
It’s always a dark day when you hear that a quality racing series has been banned. In this very unfortunate case, it just so happens to be what I consider to be the purest of all racing series: Stadium Super Trucks. Please spare a thought for Robby Gordon & Co....
Jul 30, 2025
The Future of the World Endurance Championship Might Be Hydrogen-Powered
The Future of the World Endurance Championship Might Be Hydrogen-Powered
Despite the fact that are all the rage these days, the racing world is looking in new directions to find ways to make motorsport a more sustainable and eco-friendly. For the FIA’s World Endurance Championship, that means turning to hydrogen power. Earlier on Saturday, the made its debut at Spa-Francorchamps...
Jul 30, 2025
Weekend Motorsport Roundup; September 22-23, 2018
Weekend Motorsport Roundup; September 22-23, 2018
Welcome to the Jalopnik Weekend Motorsports Roundup, where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, where you can see it, and where you can talk about it all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend? It’s a quiet weekend...
Jul 30, 2025
Witness Me As I Enter The One True Porsche Heaven On Earth Called Rennsport Reunion VI
Witness Me As I Enter The One True Porsche Heaven On Earth Called Rennsport Reunion VI
I come before you, oh readers, as I stare down a pile of laundry that includes way too many Porsche shirts and a large bag to pack. I am off to Rennsport Reunion VI, Porsche’s gathering of its most significant race cars and other vehicles. There is even . I...
Jul 30, 2025
A 900-HP Ford Mustang Drifting the Nordschleife Is the Only Nürburgring Lap I Give a Shit About
A 900-HP Ford Mustang Drifting the Nordschleife Is the Only Nürburgring Lap I Give a Shit About
I remember I tried drifting the entire length of the Nürburgring in Forza once. I rage-quit an eighth of the way through. But apparently, if you’re professional drifter and champion ., you don’t need an Xbox. You can do the real thing in a 900-horsepower, modified Ford Mustang. Recently, Gittin...
Jul 30, 2025
Aston Martin, Which Is in Talks for Bringing Back GT1 in 2021, Announces New Supercar for 2021
Aston Martin, Which Is in Talks for Bringing Back GT1 in 2021, Announces New Supercar for 2021
The Aston Martin Valkyrie was called Project 001. Its trackday special version was called 002. Now Aston has announced that a new 003 is coming in 2021. Interesting. We don’t have any other great details about what the car will be short of the sketch shown above, but we can...
Jul 30, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved