Here's Your First Proper Look At Red Bull's Canopy Concept
We’ve seen Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel test out the new halo ‘thong’ on track, and now it’s time for Red Bull’s concept to make its debut. Unlike the halo, Red Bull’s ‘aeroscreen’ wraps around the cockpit, with two pillars on either side. Not only is this design regarded by many to be better looking that the halo, but it also provides additional protection.
Because the screen resembles a fighter jet canopy, the driver is protected from head-on strikes; think Felipe Massa’s accident at the 2009 Hungarian GP. And unlike the halo, the aeroscreen features an open top, giving the driver an escape route in the event of a rollover. Something that has been a major worry after Fernando Alonso’s shunt at this year’s opening round in Australia.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner clearly favours his team’s solution: “I think the canopy offers a bit more protection because it does have a windscreen. We believe there’s better visibility and it’s a more elegant solution to the brief, rather than the boomerang thing that is the halo.”
Unsurprisingly, not everyone agrees, with fans favourite Lewis Hamilton telling Autosport:
“If they’re going to do this, close the cockpit like a fighter jet. Don’t half-arse it. Go one way or the other. That screen looks so bad. It looks like a bloody riot shield. You’ve got this cool, elegant futuristic Formula 1 car, and you’ve got a riot shield sitting on top of it. And the other one [halo], the carbon fibre structure was obviously good but Fernando [Alonso] wouldn’t have been able to get out of the car potentially in his crash in Melbourne.”
F1’s governing body has said that it ‘intends to introduce cockpit protection for 2017’ in a bid to improve driver safety following the deaths of Jules Bianchi and Indycar Driver Justin Wilson last year. And as it stands, it looks like the halo is the ‘preferred’ option of the FIA.
So the question is, which do you prefer? Do you think the ‘halo’ is better, or do you want to see Red Bull’s concept hit the grid? Take our poll below!
Comments
I think the riot shield is more likely to work but I can’t help but think what happens if oil or something else gets stuck on it. It’ll probably have form form of film on it to prevent it but that doesn’t mean things won’t happen.
I keep thinking about the Alsonso Crash from Australia this year whenever I see these. I reckon he would have got stuck as he literally just unclipped himself and dropped out. I know there’s top clearance but things like wiggle room come into play. Plus if a car is on fire or something and a driver has to quickly exit then surely the closed cockpits will hinder this somewhat
Alsonso is my favourite driver lel
Jenson made a good point though after the aus gp: alonso didnt need to get out… And dont say fire, they are so well fire proofed these things, cant remember the last time one actually properly went up in flames
I would think they would equip the canopy with explosive bolts in case of rollover
The oil will hit his helmet and still cover up his vision or even worse hit him in the shoulder and render him useless for the rest of the race.
The oil will hit his helmet and still cover up his vision or even worse hit him in the shoulder and render him useless for the rest of the race.
The only Ferrari thong I like is on the F12
I’m glad others saw the f12 and immediatly though thong
I can no longer unsee this 😂😂😂😂😂
Now I’m waiting for comments of the week like…
thank you for ruining the arse of the f12! now i only see a thong
Ferrari: A thong for every occasion 😂
Off topic but can you fix the communities thing out please!
On cars the aero screen is better but on women, the thong is perfect👌
I prefer normal panties tbh.
What if they have bars pop up around the driver during a collision so they don’t land on their head. I’ve seen it done on convertible aston martins I just dont know the name.
Its called Weight 😉
Unfortunately the issue for safety isn’t rolling or landing on their head. But having objects strike the head at high speed. Justin Wilson died from a nose cone striking his head and Jules Bianchi struck a recovery vehicle. That’s why there needs to be something in front of the drivers head not necessarily over it
I think the “Riot Shield” looks better and serves its purpose better than the thong which by the way happens to take some of the driver’s vision as a toll
I know it’s off topic but I need to ask how to create a post on the IOS app.
How do you do it, I can’t find the tool to do so
You have to into the community you want to post in
guys can anybody tell me how do i post content on this new ct layout?
Go into the community you want to post in first
I don’t know about you guys, but a ‘riot shield’ sounds much more protective than a ‘thong’…
Lol, imagine walking up to bae and she be like:
I’m wearing a riot shield under these…
It makes me think of fighter planes……
I much prefer the look of red bulls concept than the Ferrari thong, looks like it gets in the way to much