Red Bull Racing has submitted a canopy design as an alternative to the current Halo F1 cockpit as a driver protection option to the FIA. FIA safety expert Andy Mellor in London is meeting a bunch of engineers from five F1 teams including experts from the field to discuss further on this aspect.
Red Bull submit new design for driver protection in F1
The idea revolves around having combination of glass material and carbon canopy as a protection around the driver which was conceptualised at Mercedes. FIA probably does not seem too interested in the new design as it may involve the shattering and breaking of glass and fibre components on the track in case of accidents. Also, a lot of testing, design and development effort has already been put behind the current Halo cockpit design. FIA would be reluctant to implement the new design without proper testing of the new design.
Christian Horner, Red Bull F1 boss however said, “Obviously head protection is crucial. Red Bull is making another submission for a canopy design that we believe will be a safer option”. He acknowledged the fact that there is no data and testing done to back the design, saying, “It is more of a canopy than a Halo. But it needs to be tested which hopefully can be done quickly”.
Horner unveiled Red Bull Racing’s new Formula One car for the 2016 season on Wednesday stating that, “Its going to be a season of evolution for us”. Their driver protection-gear and team jersey would be puma designed and sponsored apparel. Christian Horner has hinted that the season for them might be difficult one but the team is hard at work to deliver performance.
Tags: F1, FIA, Formula One, Mercedes, Motorsport, Motorsports, Red Bull Racing
