Pit Stop | Tragedy fuels safety debate with attention on whether cockpits should be enclosed
Death of former F1 driver Justin Wilson in IndyCar racing sees FIA considering ideas on avoiding head injuries to man in the hot seat
Since the F1 fraternity was last together in Belgium, we have had the terrible news of the death of Justin Wilson. The British driver died racing in the IndyCar 500 series in the United States. He was hit by flying debris during the event at the Pocono circuit, and died of head injuries later in hospital.
Wilson had driven in Formula One, and it was the whole of the "open-wheel" racing world that took stock afterwards. Perhaps it should be described as the "open-cockpit" racing world, because the debate subsequently has been about whether cockpits should be enclosed for safety.
It's a tricky debate. On purely safety terms, you imagine there's not much to discuss. Think back to incidents in F1 where head injuries have been involved. Jules Bianchi may possibly have survived his horrific collision with a rescue vehicle in Japan last year; Felipe Massa certainly could have been spared his head injury when he was hit on the helmet by a suspension spring from a car in front.
