Webber sees closed cockpit future for F1

Webber thinks this is the future of F1

Mark Webber believes the aeroscreen run by his former team on Friday heralds a move to closed cockpits.

With the FIA insisting that a driver safety device is in place for next season, for some time now it appeared the Halo, put forward by mercedes and Ferrari, would get the nod.

Then came the canopy device – or Aeroscreen as it is officially known – from Red Bull.

Whilst the FIA's Safety Director, Charlie Whiting, initially appeared to favor the Halo, claiming that there wasn't sufficient time to test the canopy… sorry aeroscreen, it is understood that initial tests, Friday's run and the public's initial reaction, may be causing a change of heart.

As his team debuted its device, and at a time purists, including current F1 drivers, fear this is a move too far, Former Red Bull star Mark Webber, now enjoying success with Porsche in WEC, believes this is just the first step, pointing out that the desire to produce a winning device isn't merely for the good of the sport.

"I think it's very interesting for a couple of reasons," said the Australian. "The teams are really being pushed by the FIA to try and find a solution to protect the drivers' helmets. Red Bull has done quite a nice job; it's still not ideal for F1 if you're a traditionalist, but they need to accept that.

"What is the future?" he continued. "In 2025, will we have open cockpits? Probably unlikely. Eventually, they might need to make a change and make the cockpit close. And whoever gets this right first will have a very, very strong contract for all single-seaters around the world. So there is also a commercial benefit to make this look sexy, safe and beautiful for single-seaters.

"Don't underestimate these little arm races going on as well in the background. I think Red Bull is in pole position now – it looks the best. Let's see what the other teams come up with but I think it's better than the Ferrari option." Pitpass