why dont they just make them like lmp1 cars. that'll solve the problem... oh wait, it would not be an open wheeler anymore.
seriously tho. NO MORE OBSTRUCTIONS FOR DRIVERS, they can't see out and most inportantly we cannot see them. furthermore, if F1 keeps on going the way it is going, soon we'll have cars that look like cheap rc toys and sound like some stupid voice imitation of a vacuum cleaner.
you wonder why f1 was much more popular back in the old days? well because the drivers were HEROES! not some wimpy whiney millionares on a gold lined seat (schumi). people were excited by the dangers and the courage of the drivers in the sport. i could get on and on about what should be done to f1, but the fans certainly don't see as much charm in the current state of the sport as in the past. i very much think its because of all this stupid green and overly-safe thinking.
where's the v10s with massive horsepower and huge noise you would not hear from anything else? where's the daring and entertaining driving? can't even see the driver, but his helmet and sometimes his fingers. the sport has distanced itself from the fans.
can't put a windshield there, because it seriously is useless in an f1 car. the speeds are so high that whatever object that could ever cause damage to a human body, will fly trough the glass. there's is no miracle glass/plastic that would weigh as little as possible, while still giving basicly ballistic cover. also, medical recovery is quite hard already as it is.
woudn't put anything more in the view of the driver. the lmp1 cars are horrible to see out of. i cannot imagine that being a very good thing when thinking starts and so on. do remember that the WEC has rolling starts, and since it's a race against time (really) nobody wants to really fight for positions at the start. the tracks are also quite easy. cant imagine an lmp1 car racing in monaco in a 70 lap race. to put it bluntly, lmp1 cars may not need as much visibility as f1.
like anthony davidson said, anything in the front of the drivers field of view is not an optimal thing. we've also lately seen some lmp cars crashin onto other cars, which can be directly attributed to the poor visibility. crashes like McNish in le mans 2011
so what would i suggest? an easy and cheap solution that will not effect the drivers view, our view of the driver and sertainly it will not add silly structures or whatever: two or more rods that shoot up from the sides of the monocoque. these would be activated by sensors located in the front of the car. the sensors would detect if, for example, the car would get driven under another car.
these have a similar idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUNyInW3K6Q ofcourse they're slow. the rods can be shot up in an instant with a small explosive charge placed in the rod mechanism. think this is unsafe? well then you should be affraid to step into any normal road car, because you've got a live explosive right under your arse: the seat belt tensioner.
this solution is very cheap, effective and easy. no need to waste millions on pickin lint out of your bellybutton.
and it serves no scientific purpose to make these photoshopped images of the drivers view, because they cannot ever match human field of view. you put your hand sideways in front of your eyes at 30-40cm, then look past the hand and you'll see what i mean. now imagine that hand being in front of you ALL THE TIME. couple that with the already poor visibility out of an f1 car, and the fact that your head will be shaking violently the whole time you're on track.... it just doesn't work.
i have dyslexia and english is not my native language. please be gentle.
