Todt wants to make sure closed cockpits are safe
Jean Todt wants to make sure closed cockpits are safe. Hilarious given the hundreds of drivers who have died in open cockpit cars over the years from head trauma. Hundreds of drivers will have to die in closed cockpit cars before there is even a tie. |
FIA president Jean Todt says he will only consider closed cockpits in Formula One once he is certain it would not come with additional consequences.
Calls for closed cockpits to be introduced in open wheel racing increased last year following the death of IndyCar's Justin Wilson, who was struck by a loose piece of debris in an August race. It came just weeks after former Marussia driver Jules Bianchi succumbed to the severe head injuries he suffered at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix following a collision with a recovery vehicle.
Since Wilson's death the FIA has been looking into three cockpit protection solutions but there are lingering concerns about driver visibility and the impact such designs would have on a swift exit from a car. Todt says he will not seriously consider implementing closed cockpit solutions in motor racing until all the facts and consequences of doing so are fully understood.
"We have put in a lot of effort, but motorsport remains a dangerous sport," Todt told Autosport."If there are further steps that need to be taken to improve safety then we will go for it, but we have to make sure there are not [other] consequences.
"When you implement a new regulation you must ensure you have vision in case of any issues. We are in the hands of the experts, and we will have one outcome which will allow us to judge if it's worth making a change, making modifications or we keep the status quo.
"There are different ways of protecting a driver, but we must ensure there are no negative effects. That is in the hands of expert people. We have a specific department, people I trust completely, and I will see what are the outcomes when we have a final proposal."
Todt is open to any safety recommendations people want to put forward.
"What we want to achieve is an improvement on safety. I have raised a problem, so now it is up to people to propose solutions." Nate Saunders/ESPN