INDYCAR: Series monitoring F1 canopy developments

The Verizon IndyCar Series isn't looking to Formula 1 for answers on canopies or other cockpit safety enhancements, but it is monitoring the topic as possible solutions are presented. IndyCar President of competition Jay Frye says the American open-wheel series continues its own search for a suitable protective device to reduce helmet strikes, and in the interest of learning from other open-wheel series, would engage F1, and the FIA, to explore any crossover opportunities.

"We would certainly like to see, and have an in-depth and great understanding of what they did and why, and use that as part of our database to figure out what we need to do or not, going forward," Frye told RACER. "There are things they do that can apply to what we do and vice versa. You have to be smart and you just pay attention to what everybody's doing."

Renewed calls for heightened cockpit protection came after F1 driver Jules Bianchi and IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died last year after suffering severe blows to the helmet. The constant introduction of new F1 chassis makes rapid innovation easier to incorporate, while in IndyCar, which has used the same chassis since 2012 and will likely continue with the car for another two or three years, adding a canopy, Mercedes F1-style halo (pictured), or other innovation is a greater challenge.

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According to Frye, one of the internal debates IndyCar is having centers on whether enhanced cockpit safety devices can be suitable added to an aging design, or if it's better to wait and built that technology into the next IndyCar chassis.

"Right now, a lot of what is being worked on is how we can do it to the existing car," he continued. "We're looking at scenarios, and that is one of them. If we went that way, what are our options, what are the costs, who are the manufacturers? And then the other one would be if we did do something with a different car or newer car, what would the process be the same? You obviously could do different things to it at that point because you could design around it from scratch.

"It's a very debatable topic. If you talk to one person, they think it's a great idea to do something with the car we have today; talk to another person and they says it's best to do it with a new car, and that takes time."

In concert with whatever F1 decides for its cockpit safety upgrades, Frye also intends to engage the IndyCar paddock, and one or more outside vendors, to expand the dialogue as potential solutions are gathered.

"There are so many smart people in our paddock to take advantage of their knowledge and different things they do, this is the same scenario," he said. "If [F1] is going forward with this project, the right thing to do would be to understand and evaluate what they have done to see how it could apply to what we are doing.

"And we're talking to others. We're looking at other series like the NHRA to see what they have done with their canopies of their Top Fuel cars. How did that work?"

No timeline was given, but Frye says his competition team is working toward a decision on how and when improved IndyCar cockpit safety will be addressed.

"It's not just putting something on a car and going racing," he added. "You have to look and do research and see whatever's best. That is part of what we are doing right now. We have a couple of our guys looking at what could be possible. Once we get that all together, we will figure out what the next steps are, whether it is viable or not, or something we want to do or not, and when it should be done. We're still in the research part of this process."