What Would Senna Think?

The tragic death earlier this year of Jules Bianchi has reignited an on-again, off-again discussion of whether Formula One cars should move to a closed-cockpit configuration. While it may seem a minor—or perhaps even obvious—decision, it is not without controversy.

Looking over just the last 30 or so years of Formula One history, one can trace a disheartening string of tragic accidents, which could have been either mitigated, or avoided completely, by some type of head protection. In 1972, François Cevert was essentially decapitated when his Tyrrell plowed underneath a stretch of Armco barrier at Watkins Glen.