Motors Bit-Tech F1 2017 thread - Season Complete

Just listened to the commentary by the CH4 team regarding the Halo/Screen device to be fitted on 2018 cars.

They actually mentioned aesthetics, who the hell cares what the cars look like when it comes to safety, that should be the least of anyone's worries.

Your not a true F1 fan if you care more about the looks of the car than you do the safety of the driver.

 

I'm still not sold on these devices - they look like they'll make it more difficult to exit a vehicle in an emergency, especially if it's upside down.

 

On the looks - couldn't give a toss, even if the halo thing is fugly as hell imo.

There was a safety concern regarding the screen about whether the driver can adequately see through it should it get wet. There was also the odd comment of 'well if you're going down that route, why not go for a full canopy?'


Also I see McHonda are already getting engine penalties... Waffle is on his 5th MGU-K

 

Yeh heard them mention the visibility thing and that's fair enough, just get tired of hearing people moan about the looks of the car which means absolutely nothing to me.

Its all about driver skill, the looks of the car shouldn't even be relevant to proper motor sport enthusiasts.

 

I keep hearing this and I think it's balls. The car would have to rolled over to extremely specific angles and somehow have had it's roll hoop crushed or sunk into the ground enough for the car not to have any clearance.

Even then for that to endanger the driver the car would have to be on fire, which happens very rarely to people who aren't Nick Heidfeld.

Even if all of that actually applies, the last F1 fatality involving fire was 35years ago, the last three F1 fatalities have been head and neck injuries (not to mention Henry Surtees, Justin Wilson). The screen will be vindicated the first time a chunk of debris carves a dirty great divot out of one.

More than that, once F1 has it, everyone else will have within five-ish years.

 

Or conclude the sport is safe enough and that there is a base amount of risk that can't be mitigated without imposing speed limits and running the cars on rails.
I'm all for safety but tbh neither device would of saved Bianchi, Senna or Ratzenberger. They're failing to solve the major issue outstanding in regards to safety and that's wet weather racing, both a grip and visibility problem.
I know all the above can be summed up as poor excuses for not improving but I do believe F1 as to decide between the risk of open cockpit racing vs closed cars. Stop with the half measures and paranoia.

 

Balls? Raising the the effective sides of the cockpit doesn't hinder exit?

If you're going to throw facts at me, at least get them right. A halo, screen or even full canopy wouldn't have saved Ratzenberger.

Skirts on trackside recovery vehicles would have seen Bianchi survive.

 

Nor would they have made any difference to Monger's accident.

At least they're taking their time and looking at options, rather than hastily implement some poorly thought out knee-jerk response like they usually do with the technical regs.

 

TBH it feels like a knee jerk response to Wilson and Massa

 

Actually both screen and full canopy would have saved Senna. They would have deflected both the wheel and the suspension part which penetrated the visor of the helmet.

 

So Toto (and Eddy) has apparently just announced that 2018 will see the return of Mclaren Mercedes.

Surprising nobody.

 

I got them exactly right, I said the last three fatalities were head and neck injuries, Ratzenberger died of a broken neck.

In his case the raised cockpit and HANS device we already have would have save him. If Senna's car had had a wind screen he would have walked away form the crash. Bianchi indeed wouldn't have been helped.

And yes, big shiny brass balls It's the same argument from the olden times, except back then it was used to justify racing cars not having seat belts at all.

 

Ferrari at front, i guess we really have the real fight back.

 

Didn't the suspension arm come through the cockpit rather than over into it?

I really hate the shiny ball argument as it's stupid tho if they want open cockpits acceptthe risks otherwise close them completely. Stop with the halo / screen none sense.

 

A front row 9 years in the making... lets hope they don't waste it.

 

Nice to see some 'between team' competition rather than just 'in team' competition.

 

The real question - will Mercedes or Ferrari grab Hulk after this season ?

 

It's possible, if they want a decent no.2 driver to back up their main prospect. Hulk's a journeyman, a nice guy who is very solid and dependable, but not really WDC material IMO.

 

I think he will be lucky to make it to the end of the year.