"It's not the 1970s": Is it time for Formula 1 to introduce closed cockpit canopies?

Leading F1 drivers have come out strongly in favour of introducing cockpit canopies, while one former legend says it is the wrong way to go. The debate is alive on one of the most sensitive issues around safety in F1 at the moment.

The tragic death of former Formula 1 driver Justin Wilson in an IndyCar race last month has reopened the debate surrounding cockpit safety in motorsport.

Wilson died as a result of injuries sustained in the IndyCar race at Pocono when he was struck on the head by a piece of flying debris from another car that had crashed into the barriers ahead of the Briton.

The tragic events in America followed similar cases in recent years. Henry Surtees was killed after being hit on the head by a loose wheel in a Formula 2 race at Brands Hatch in 2009 and Williams F1 driver Felipe Massa was badly injured in a similar incident just one week later in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.

At the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, several leading F1 drivers expressed support for the introduction of closed cockpits, with Daniel Ricciardo observing that the majority had come around to holding the same view as him.

McLaren’s Jenson Button, who grew up racing Wilson in karts and junior formulae, said: “This just shouldn’t happen at this time in motorsport – it’s the not the 1970s and we should know better.

“I was one of many drivers who said this should stay as open cockpit racing but I think we’ve all had enough now and it’s time to do something serious about it, not just changing the headrests on the cars.

“I think you’ve got to get a canopy of some sort on the car because we can’t have this happening as much as it has over the last few years. It’s got to be changed.”

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo said he did not support the argument that closed cockpits went against the traditions of F1.

He said: "[A closed cockpit] is something I want to definitely go for - for me it is the last piece of the puzzle. The helmets have come on a long way but unfortunately we have still seen some tragic accidents and you get to a point where you don't care about tradition any more.

"I don't care if the statistics say there have only been a few (deaths) in the last 20 years. Statistics cannot predict what is going to happen in the future so now we need to ignore tradition and go for safety.

"As a current driver and seeing these things happen around you in Formula One and IndyCar it hits home a lot more and you just don't care how the past has been with tradition. It is silly not to look into options now for sure.”

But three-time F1 world champion Jackie Stewart argued against introducing closed cockpits as a knee-jerk reaction to the recent accidents.

In an interview with the news agency Reuters, Stewart said: “I don't see it as that bad. How many incidents have we had? I mean one thing was changing safety - the racetrack, the deformable structures, the cars, everything.

"[The death of] Henry Surtees, and this accident that happened in America, that's two incidents. I don't think Jules's incident was anything to do with that [not having a closed cockpit]."

“Everyone's talking about a missile hitting the thing. What if there's another accident, not with a missile coming back, and an impact? Is it a problem that the driver might not be able to get out correctly?

“There's a lot of things that you have to take into consideration. Are you going to get proper ventilation? It's a very complicated thing, it's not just a simple bubble.

“Sometimes you'll be doing 280 or 300kph and an object comes - is it going to damage the cell so that it can't be taken off? A driver could be trapped in it. Do the spectators want it either? I think you have to be very, very certain that it's going to work.”

Over the last few years, the FIA has been undertaking on-going research studies project into cockpit safety across all aspects of motorsport. These projects have looked at, amongst other ideas, the viability of introducing fighter jet style canopies and “halo’ structures designed to deflect debris away from a driver’s head.

One piece of cockpit protection that has been adopted in recent years as a result of FIA testing, is the Zylon panel that was added to F1 helmets in 2011 and is designed to stop debris penetrating a driver’s helmet, as was the case with Massa’s accident.

Andy Mellor, consultant for the Global Institute for Motor Sport Safety (GIMSS), the FIA Institute’s safety research partner, said the Zylon panel has, “effectively halved the loads or energy transferred to the driver’s head.”

What do you think about F1 cockpit safety? Are closed cockpits the best solution to protect drivers? Have your say by taking our poll and leaving your thoughts in the comment section below.