F1 to copy Champ Car yet again

After the serious accident involving David Coulthard and Alexander Wurz during the season opening race in Australia, a discussion is occurring in Formula One concerning further security measures in the cars. Among other items, a security cage in the cockpit is being discussed. Coulthard has recommended evaluating a jet type protective canopy. During the accident in Melbourne four weeks ago, the Scotsman in his Red Bull car flew over the Williams of Wurz and missed hitting his head by a few centimeters.

"We have open cockpits. Current considerations are about what can be done. If it would already be for next year, I don't know," said Ralf Schumacher during preparations for the Grand Prix of Bahrain in Sakhir. There are various ideas. "Primarily one would want to avoid that one car would be hopping over the other," was the further opinion of the Toyota driver who is also one of the three Directors of the driver's union, the GPDA.

Schumacher declared himself as being hesitant about measures such as cages or canopies: "When the cars impact at the angles that Wurz and Schumacher did, then one could surely restrict the take-off of the cars with other means, " he said. The wheels could be made to separate earlier, the shape of the car could be different – there are more possibilities." As an example he mentioned higher cockpit side walls. "But that is all premature discussion." The International Automobile Association FIA will be working on this subject in the next weeks.

In past years quite a bit has been done concerning driver safety and security. Accidents involving serious injuries did not occur too often anymore. The last fatality was Ayrton Senna who died in Imola on May 1, 1994.