IndyCar driver hails Aeroscreen after mystery brake explosion

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In the round-up: IndyCar driver James Davison praised the protection provided by the series’ new Aeroscreen after his bizarre brake explosion during last week’s Indianapolis 500.

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Comment of the day

Expecting Lewis Hamilton to do the same as competitors in others sports have done in America by boycotting this weekend’s race is unrealistic because of the differences between the sports, said RP:

I think there is a different dynamic between Hamilton, the Mercedes team, and F1.

Hamilton is the most visible and member of an international team and business. Thousands of people who are expecting a performance bonus. They have a complicated relationship with Mercedes, FIA, Liberty Media, race promoters, and fans. I can see why Hamilton does not want to let them down.

Contrast that to the NBA: 12 guys, training staff versus the owners. In a different country that is having a political upheaval.

I understand if he wants to take a different approach.
RP (@slotopen)

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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33 comments on “IndyCar driver hails Aeroscreen after mystery brake explosion”

  1. Aeroscreen in F1 please, no reason not to. When the Halo was introduced they said they will continue to look at development of other devices. It works in Indy and stops small debris. Whatever issues the few F1 drivers had in testing it were obviously solved for Indy.

    Why would they wait until someone gets struck with small debris again before making the change? New regs in 22 are a perfect opportunity. I’d love to see a render with them on the new cars at least to see how it looks.

    1. No thanks, more weight,more heat on the drivers and small debris is not a problem in F1 unlike indycar. Drivers are safe.

      1. small debris is not a problem in F1

        How short is your memory?

        1. RENATO D DE AGUIAR
          28th August 2020, 3:43

          Helmets were changed after that very accident. If I remember correctly, Luciano Burti, former f1 driver, designed a project, had it made and submitted for testing. Instead of 2 fixing points, the visor changed to 3.
          It’s been a while and this is from memory.

          1. I know. I was pointing out that debris can still be an issue, even if it’s not 99.9% of the time, it’s always the edge case that is a concern with safety.

            What’s the point in arguing? The aeroscreen is an obviously superior solution.

          2. I still want to know why the FIA increased the time required to get out of a F1 car from 5 to 11 seconds if drivers are safe. Pop on that aeroscreen or halo on a car now introduce said car to the Monaco Habour or the St Lawerence sea way and see how long a modern F1 car floats for……can you get out of that car from a 5 point harness and halo in 11 seconds? While F1 needs to made strides for safety freak accidents happen.

          3. So a small part of a car coming off is equivalent in risk to a car leaping the barriers and landing in the water?

            The mental leaps you guys use to try and make a (ridiculous) point is astounding.

          4. The point that is being made is as of today no driver has been hit in the face with a tyre but a car has ended up in the water of Monaco. Freak accidents happen we know this. But there are issues especially regarding fire where implimenting a safety device like halo makes exiting the car longer. The question being asked, is it worth fitting a safety device that will save a life (and halo will and probably already has) if it makes a more common type of accident more dangerous?

          5. @skipgamer You are right. What is the point in arguing? F1 will not be using an aeroscreen. Full stop. F1 cars are not Indycars and an aeroscreen has more disadvantages than advantages for F1 cars. That is why they are staying with halos. Perhaps consider the well thought out reasons F1 has for not using an aeroscreen, rather than just assuming that because it seems so far to be acceptable on Indycars it should be a no brainer for F1. The cars are apples and oranges different.

          6. @robbied90
            What disadvantages? It’s lighter and safer, end of.

            When it’s on F1 cars because it will be, you will see.

          7. @skipgamer Given that the teams have already started working on the new cars, on pause for now due to the pandemic, I would suggest the horses have already left the barn and there is no aeroscreen involved. One would think that it would have been huge news somewhere along the line and we would have had much debate and discussion about how the new cars are going to have aeroscreens….yet, not a peep. Not a mention from anyone on any team about this. The last we heard about aeroscreens was from when they discounted them in favour of the halo 3 years ago.

            We’ve heard about simplified wings, tunnels under the cars for ground effects, cars making less wake, 18” rims…why not a mention of such a huge topic as aeroscreens?

            Can you explain your rationale as to why they are now going to go completely back to the drawing board and totally change the cars they have already started on, in order to accommodate an aeroscreen? And why we haven’t heard a peep about it?

        2. Felipe doesn’t remember it either.

        3. @tristan ‘ what is the point in arguing’ . Wow, what a thing to say!! Why are you even commenting then? Clearly to get a reaction. That mask should be pulled tighter, in case you forgot the drivers already have a crash helmet on, that is a head protection device

      2. The aero screen is little more than a halo with plexiglass on it. If you look inside the plexiglas you will see a very similar structure to the halo.

    2. michael woodworth
      28th August 2020, 14:58

      The aeroscreen also saved Spencer pivot from serious head trauma when he collided with the pit wall pylon and slide under the tire barrier. In days past those tires would have done severe injury to his head and neck.

  2. Hamilton might want to visit Potrero de los Funes…

  3. TV Globo has been devaluing transmission of Formula 1 for years, virtually no intro, stale commentary from the uninformed and wittering Galvão Bueno, stuck somewhere in 1987, and cutting away from coverage as soon as the race winner passes the line. We’re talking seconds after here. And in between endless cutaways to other sports going on. Maybe its decline was inevitable in a country dominated by football, a short attention span social media culture where hours of coverage seems disproportionate (like much of the rest of the world) and with no Brazilian drivers to follow. Still, it does seem the end of an era.

    1. RENATO D DE AGUIAR
      28th August 2020, 3:52

      Bueno is not uninformed. He’s been well informed for decades. Simply incapable of understanding F1 and kept there as the Brazilian F1 voice due to a history of poor, at the very best, narration/commentating of significant events. He’s been there since Piquet at least and had always been sadly bad. I know because some of my very first memories are of watching F1 with my father and I have zero positive things to say about Galvão Bueno since then.

  4. Again look at the canopy idea. Not like on an old F14 but a modern canopy incorporated into a body shape like a bar of soap but wing shape at one end. Like Tristan said a new generation is coming soon maybe too soon for a revolution but F1 in the past has OK’d top teams develop and run a season with old generation cars slower to cross over for many reasons.
    Mandatory for all in 2025. Initially starts in 2024. Finally a radical concept a race changing concept, in safer higher tech extreme construction using liquid synthetic polymers. Pour a chassis. Fatter tires that are solid rubber on chemically strengthened wheels.
    Body shell can be altered in its appearance or advertising requirements. like the octopus, it can morph into Just about anything limited by imagination.
    Performance will delight the rabid fan but better yet the sound of power source.
    Back to 20k RPM shift points and the return of the Scream. Let future engines have a chance. How about Engine tech that can push all limits. They are Racecars Let them breath let them Drink then let the drivers test the limits. The future could become anything.

    1. the return of the Scream. Let future engines have a chance. How about Engine tech that can push all limits.

      I doubt your ideal future engine will ‘scream’. It’s simply not efficient to carry extra fuel to waste energy on noise.

      1. Sounds like the only F1 sounds you hear come from your Play Station.
        Did you know these cars are very loud?
        Maybe you haven’t heard 20,000RPM?
        Perhaps you don’t know?

        1. The current cars sound so much better than the old cars – cos they’re way less noisy. The old cars was so loud that it was annoying to watch live in person.

          1. Very much agreed

  5. I’m still scratching my head over what happened to Pascal Wehrlein’s F1 career. There were such high hopes for this kid, weren’t there? I’m trying to remember: he was hardly given a chance to settle into F1, wasn’t he, before being dumped?

    1. Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
      28th August 2020, 9:58

      @shimks

      https://www.racefans.net/2017/12/08/2017-f1-driver-rankings-16-wehrlein/

      https://www.racefans.net/2017/12/07/2017-f1-driver-rankings-18-ericsson/

      He wasn’t exactly great though was he? Ericsson got team orders to let Wehrlein though in Baku which got wehrlein a point that Ericsson was told he would get if Wehrlien couldn’t make a pass on the car ahead.

      Then Ericsson was on target for a points finish in Mexico but he had a retirement. Wehrlien did well to get 8th in Spain, but somewhat benifitted from 3 of the top teams cars retiring.

      I basically think they were pretty much even that season, which is more a poor reflection on Wehrlien given how Ericsson gets rated. Things being fair, I think they both would have got a point or two. But neither were very good.

      1. Yes, I’m looking it up now, @thegianthogweed, and I see that he raced a lot longer than I remembered: 21 races with Manor in 2016 and 19 races with Sauber in 2017. I guess that should be enough to become acclimatized in F1.

        Funny how these wunderkinds come through the ranks shining and stop dead with F1. I know some don’t receive the nurturing they need but others just seem to remain out of their depth.

        It’s been seen the other way round too. I can’t give an example but I believe some drivers haven’t been great in F3 and then really begin to shine when they step up a formula.

  6. Come Sochi can they please just douse the race track in water 15 minutes before the race start..

    Please? Someone? Help…

    :(

    1. Infact maybe an easier solution would be no practise.. just none at all. Surely this is doable and with no fans they wont be able to miss out on track time..

      Now we just need to convince the rule makers.. I’m confident it could make for a better race and its very simple to put I place

  7. “Nighttime F1 grand prix in Sochi may be exciting” Probably the only way to make that track exciting for F1 would be run it in the night without any lights.

  8. Wasn’t the idea of a floodlit Russian GP dropped a few years back already? Afternoon is better in this case due to temps as the race takes place in the autumn, so evenings can be a bit chilly, although still warm, but less consistent in this regard than afternoons.

  9. Or James Davison could have just slowed down, pulled over instead of just keep driving literally fuelling the fire. Obviously his race was done

    1. You don’t watch Indy cars do you? First lap, in the field, doing 200 plus in a walled oval. Oh yes, and no brakes. How was he supposed to do what you requested?

    2. Slowed down how? By using the brakes? There were on fire if you didn’t notice

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