Here’s What Red Bull’s F1 Cockpit Protection 'Windscreen' Really Looks Like

Previously we saw what the Red Bull F1 cockpit 'windscreen' concept could look like, and now the team has revealed the real thing

Jack Leslie

19 Mar 2016

Here’s What Red Bull’s F1 Cockpit Protection 'Windscreen' Really Looks Like

Red Bull Racing has released the first images of its Formula 1 cockpit protection concept, through a number of digital renders.

Ferrari tried out the FIA-preferred ‘halo’ prototype at the second F1 test earlier this month and renowned technical F1 illustrator Giorgio Piola showed off what he thought the Red Bull design could look like.

The windscreen-style device wraps around the cockpit, with two pillars on either side, rather than the ‘halo’ prototype’s single pillar. It resembles a fighter jet canopy but features an open top, clearly giving drivers more protection compared to the other option.

The FIA is still looking to introduce the ‘halo’ device for the 2017 season, in a bid to improve driver safety following the deaths of Jules Bianchi and Justin Wilson last year. Red Bull boss Christian Horner is quoted saying the team aims to test its own cockpit protection prototype in April.

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has doubts about Red Bull’s device, saying it is behind in development and would not be ready to be implemented in 2017.

The Red Bull concept certainly looks more elegant and slick, but the FIA seems pretty invested in the ‘halo’ device.

Which do you prefer? Do you think the ‘halo’ is better or hope Red Bull’s concept becomes reality? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Comments

But in case of heavy rain, this system need a windscreen wiper ?

Just use Rain-X.

same thing that’s on fighter jets. mclaren is studying on brinhing it to fighter jets

Will this fit on a car?Or a Honda?

That thing looks interesting!

How is the driver suppsoed to see from the Ferrari one….. that thing in the middle would be so annoying for me haha

Like holding your hand sideways in front of your face, and trying to read something in the distance. You know it’s there but it does not actually block your forward view. Evolution making man better at driving cars fast :)

but kimi drove with halo and said the visibility was good so i dont see the problem here…

It’s the same way like the nose on our face… Though it’s blocking the view our mind just ignores it 😜

I wonder if there is a way of a halo being discreet, within the outer bodywork of the cockpit, then automatically it pops up should a sensor detect debris coming towards the car or an imminent crash. There’s so much automatic tech being introduced in road cars, it’d be interesting to see if it’s possible to do with an F1 car and to make it strong enough

Plus, it looks like a flip flop

That is way better than the Halo, but I don’t know which I prefer this or the McLaren Honda concept…

FIA not wanting to support this, even though it has much more protection than the halo… Are the FIA run by fools who want to see f1 destroyed???

Yes.

I’m really against the halo because we are starting to lose the essence of the sport. With the new engines we lost the pure speed, and with this we will lose another characteristic of the championship. Is like putting training wheels in a MotoGP bike, you make sure they won’t fall off, but you are killing the sport a little bit.

“A bit”, haha

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the new engines are the most powerful the sport has ever had.

I don’t see how this would affect badly the performance of the car, except for a negligible amount of aerodynamics and weight

Lose the essence of the sport, or lose more drivers like Jules? That’s the dilemma we’re facing, and I feel like the sport in general needs to try and look past how cars look/ sound. The cars are so much more efficient these days, putting out more power, and as we saw in practice and qualy, the cars are still tricky to drive. We’re still in early days for the new engines, dev always takes a while. But the new engines are a necessary thing, and the sport will hopefully get there soon.