INDIANAPOLIS 500 / DAILY REPORT : Fittipaldi Says Cockpit Cover Would Help Driver

Still saddened after the funeral of his close friend Ayrton Senna last Thursday in Brazil, Emerson Fittipaldi called Sunday for canopies to be added to cockpits of open-wheel Formula One and Indy cars.

“Canopies, like ones used in off-shore racing boats, should be the next safety step for these cars,” he said after practice opened for the May 29 Indianapolis 500. “They could be the solution for head injuries, such as Ayrton’s.”

Fittipaldi, a two-time Formula One champion before switching to Indy cars, also criticized Formula One for its attitude toward safety.

“After the accident at Imola, the constructors blamed the promoters, the drivers blamed the constructors, everyone blamed someone else,” he said. “They should all work with one another, not point fingers at others, but that is not their way.

“Once, when I was racing (Formula One) and there was an accident where a driver was killed, I went out the next day to the place where the accident occurred and sought some answers for myself. Instead of asking me for some input, the FIA threatened me with suspension for looking around.”

As to Senna’s crash, Fittipaldi said: “The corner where he went off is one that everyone takes flat out. There must have been mechanical failure. (Michael) Schumacher was right behind him, and he said Senna’s car seemed to bottom out and get a little out of shape before he went off the course.

“Why, we don’t know yet, but it would have helped if there had been a tire barrier in front of the cement barrier where his car hit. For sure, at such a high-speed corner there should have been more protection.

“I would also recommend that F1 cars increase their minimum weight. They are much too fragile. They are 250 pounds lighter than Indy cars, and around the driver there is not a lot of material to absorb an impact. Indy cars are much better protected. Because F1 cars are so fragile, it makes drivers much more vulnerable.”

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Scott Brayton, driving a Menard V6 modification of the old Buick stock block engines built in his father’s shop in Coldwater, Mich., stunned the more highly publicized drivers with a lap of 227.658 m.p.h.

Brayton reportedly had a trap speed of 243 m.p.h. on the straightaway, although he said, “I saw the speedometer and never went over 235.”