Halo 2017

Why not give the teams freedom of coming up with whatever they like as long as they pass some new type of crash test?

 

Trying to achieve a perception.

 

I agree the shield/thong are a reaction to a problem that cannot be solved. And that's trying to prevent all injuries and death of drivers traveling at over 200 mph. Just not going to happen. By using better strategies/rules, the great majority of accidents can be prevented. Some just will not, and that's unfortunately part of the sport. Unless racing in the rain is banned, as well as imposing a ridiculous top speed, there will continue to be accidents with injuries on racing. One F1 death (Bianchi) in the last 23 years (after Senna) is a heck of a record, and it was fully preventable. And no, neither halo nor shield would have saved JB (they can't deflect a freaking crane). Hopefully the FIA will reconsider the rule. Or is it irreversible by now?

 

The voice of reason. This whole thing is an unnecessary over reaction.

 

They should either have a complete canopy like a fighter jet but with the dizziness factor Seb faced yesterday solved somehow (and it must have been really bad for him to pit after just one lap) because while this bullet proof glass thing would have saved Massa from injury in his Hungary spring into the helmet crash it would not have saved Henry Surtees, Justin Wilson or Markus Hottinger (at Hockhenheim in F2 in the early 80's) and no doubt numerous other such fatalities, as in those 3 cases the wheel (or nosecone for Wilson) came from above not from the front and neither the halo nor the the shield has any protection from above. Of course then you need the canopy to be able to come off quickly and reliably -detachable from both inside and outside-from an upturned car with an unconscious driver inside and a fire starting...

In Formula Ford at Brands Hatch in 1987 I recall a chap having a brake disc failure which tore the wheel and hub from the uprights and a moment later it all flew right over my helmet at the top of paddock hill bend...
At Silverstone during a mixed test day in 88 I was in another FF and Steven Andskar in an F3000 went off at Abbey ahead of me, rejoined and a big stone whacked my helmet at over 100mph...inches above my visor...so only a full canopy will rid us of such risks but zero distortion and full safety in case of upturned car won't be easy to achieve....

MS

 

Neither the Halo or the shield are supposed to prevent all injuries and death of drivers travelling at 200mph - The concept of their design is to try to deflect debris, stray wheels and such-like away from the drivers heads.

You are correct in that neither device would have helped Jules Bianchi - Under the circumstances at the time, nothing would have, but a shield type device might have saved Felipe Massa from getting hit in the head in Hungary (an incident that could easily have had a fatal outcome!), and a halo type of device might have saved Henry Surtees life.

Certain incidents and accidents in motor racing highlight where possible safety improvements can be made (the HANS device being a classic example), and it would be irresponsible (and possibly criminal), for the FIA not to look into possible solutions to them, which is what they are attempting to do with the halo and shield devices.

The halo and shield devices are not a reaction to a problem that cannot be solved as you suggest, they are a reaction to problems that can possibly be solved.


As it stands, the FIA are saying that for 2018, there will a head protection device on the cars, and if the shield is not ready in time then it will be the halo device.

Don't get Me wrong, aesthetically I don't like either device, and think that, unlike the HANS device that was definitely required, neither the halo device or the shield device are really required, but I won't criticise the FIA for looking into possible solutions.

 

... and Ayrton Senna would still be with us too perhaps ...

 

JULY 19, 2017

F1 to discuss Shield in Wednesday meeting



The potential introduction of the cockpit protection solution known as 'Shield' will have top billing as F1's strategy group meets on Wednesday.

At Silverstone, Sebastian Vettel said he felt "dizzy" after becoming the first driver to try the transparent windscreen-type device aboard his Ferrari.

"Now we have to think about how we can solve all of the issues," an FIA source told Auto Motor und Sport.

Shield will apparently be discussed by the strategy group in Geneva, but it will not be until Monza and Singapore that more teams get to try the solution for the first time.

"There is a massive problem," Red Bull chief Christian Horner said. "We really needed to know two months ago for the build of our (2018) cars.

"So if we're having problems, I can only imagine what it's like for the smaller teams," he added.

Force India's Andy Green confirmed: "We cannot wait any longer."

The FIA has said that if the Shield is not approved, Halo will be introduced in 2018 instead.

But fearing outcry from fans about the mandatory imposition of the controversial solutions, the strategy group has vowed to prioritise the discussion of cockpit protection at its Wednesday meeting.

Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport said another hot topic in Geneva will be the potential mandatory participation of drivers at promotional events like London last week, following the controversy over Lewis Hamilton's absence.

 

Halo has been approved. Official. What a debacle. 9 out of 10 teams voted against it but it's still going on in 2018!

 

Jean Todt does it again. Incredible.

9/10 teams denied use of Halo. Ridiculous!


You can NEVER go back from halo.

 

Finally succeed in making the cars not look like a joke and then ruin it with this monstrosity.

LOL, only F1....

 

Here we go.

Now the drivers will be used as unpaid participants to do Liberty's PR.

This really starts to stink of dictatorship !!!

We are back to ile ol' days of JM Ballestre.

 

Napoleon complex.

 

If combat aircraft canopies can be designed and manufactured without distortion I don't understand why a shield for an F1 car can't be.

 

Here is an in-depth analysis (and videos: tyres shot with a nitrogen cannon into several designs and materials) of F1 cockpit renditions and materials.

It also talks about aircraft canopies and materials used. Thing to note with regards to aircraft canopies and F1 canopies is that aircraft canopies are wider compared to an F1 car. Aircraft canopies are designed to take birdstrikes(weight 1.8kg) at 1000kph. F1 car canopies (closed cockpit) deal with greater mass and solid objects at slower speeds.

The report makes comparisons to LMP1 cars but the roof acts as a roll over component plus 2 doors on either side...which would mean a total redesign of the monocoque in an F1 car. LMP1 cars have windshield wipers so they can drive in the rain.

F1 cockpit safety

F1 cockpit safety - Racecar Engineering

 

Here are two pics of what the Halo looks like inside the cockpit of an F1 car. I would think the Ferrari pic is the best example due to it being a more "realistic" look.

I can see how that middle part(Y area or T area) would obscure the driver's field of vision.
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Halo is a go. It's official.

Stupidest thing of all time. This will lead to more accidents, not less.

FIA green-lights controversial halo for 2018 | PlanetF1 : PlanetF1

 

+1

 

That's my view too. And not only that; it wouldn't have prevented any of the latest accidents it's supposed to prevent for sure IMO. A spring or tire could still hit the driver's head. I'd say raising the sides next to the helmet a little more to cover their heads in case of hitting a wall sideways (they can't see crap now, or turn their heads anyway), plus making the helmets stronger would be a more effective way to deal with driver safety IMO, and without affecting visibility. But guess the thong it is for now.

 

Biggest joke ever. That's not F1 to me anymore.
One day when some debri flies under the Halo and still strikes the driver, what will they say then?
Not convinced the halo would have saved Massa or Jules anyway.

 

This is just bstupid, rushing things over without being properly tested or without being a good solution..simply because someone as an agenda or deadline to fullfil...unfortunatly we all know to well the consequences of these rushed decisions.

 

There's a slight difference in the size of a fighter jet's canopy and the F1 shield.

The tighter curvature required for the shield device creates the distortion - It's not hard to understand.

 

A stupid single fin would be enough

This is the single most stupid thing to come out of any race series ever

Wonder which one was the only team to be in favour of this...

http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9970215/watch-mercedes-halo-test

 

On the FIA website they have approved the 2016 voting:-


"Frontal cockpit protection

Following the unanimous agreement of the Strategy Group, in July 2016, to introduce additional frontal protection for Formula One and the repeated support from the drivers, the FIA confirms the introduction of the Halo for 2018. With the support of the teams, certain features of its design will be further enhanced."

 

And to think people were worried about the aesthetics of T-wings. LOL