Lets not forget that the Halo devices we have seen so far are all prototypes, and not the finished article. Prototype Ferrari's usually look like crap when they're first tested on the roads, but the final product usually ends up looking a lot better!
I can't believe that doesn't impact the driver's vision in places like COTA where you go up the steep hill to turn 1. Drivers are looking ahead... I don't see how that works.
I still don't understand why they cannot cantilever the halo and not have that rediculous center support in front of the driver. This thing is an unecessary and unsafe joke.
I guess they need it to guarantee the huge impact resistance,someone posted the big numbers.Can cope with the weight of 17 F1 cars...
New FIA Video Shows Why It Chose Halo For 2018 | Motorsport Safety Foundation Explanation of how we have gotten to this point. The only thing that they did not analyze is how effective the halo is in eliminating viewers from the series....
As if in his position he'd come out and say anything different. We've already seen the efforts the FIA has gone through to wipe out negative impressions of the HALO. I'm sure they gave him an extra five laps of testing to read the script.
If it's blocking sun, it means its blocking part of their view. I think if I'm about to run up a hill at a 190mph, then need to slam the breaks to make a 90 degree blind corner which falls away.. surrounded by 4 or 5 cars doing the very same thing... I'd prefer to have 100% of my viewing area accessible. Then again, I'm a Financial Analyst, not a race car driver... what do I know.
AUGUST 14, 2017 Drivers unhappy with extra Halo weight While most focus on the aesthetics, it is another feature of the controversial 'Halo' system that might actually have a more significant impact on F1. The fact the carbon-titanium cockpit protection system will be mandatory on all cars next year has sparked a furious debate. But while some rail against the questionable aesthetics of the 'flip flop'-like addition over the traditional open cockpit, another major consideration is the 10-plus kilograms that 'Halo' weighs. Indeed, the Swiss newspaper Blick reports that with the cars already weighing a hefty 728kg this year, the mandatory minimum weight will only increase by 5kg next year to accommodate Halo. "Does that mean the drivers will have to lose the other 5 kilograms?" the report wondered. Lewis Hamilton admits: "You cannot ignore Halo if it improves safety by 17 per cent. It just doesn't look good and the extra weight isn't good either." Carlos Sainz added: "We should not have to be as slim as cyclists just because of the cars." F1 legend Niki Lauda even thinks Halo "destroys the DNA" of formula one, but Valtteri Bottas does not quite agree with his Mercedes boss. "I don't think Halo will hurt formula one," said the Finn. "It is a safety improvement like so many others in the history of the sport, which is good for us drivers," he told Auto Bild. "The only drawback is the extra weight, because the heavier the cars are, the less exciting they are."
Legal issues forced 2018 F1 Halo introduction – Horner Mercedes backed the FIA into a corner over the issue of cockpit protection in F1. That is the view of Red Bull chief Christian Horner, who is no advocate of the governing body’s decision to mandate the controversial ‘Halo’ solution for 2018. A debate is raging about whether ‘Halo’ is good or bad for F1, but Horner thinks it was Mercedes who backed the FIA into a corner. “Mercedes came out with that concept (Halo) and it put the FIA in a difficult position,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “If we have an accident now and we don’t have Halo on the car, but it might have saved a life, then from a legal standpoint it will be difficult to argue why it wasn’t there if it was available,” he said. “That’s why we (Red Bull) developed the Aeroscreen — to try to solve the problem more aesthetically than this ‘flip flop’. “The FIA is now in a corner with only the Halo and no other option. “My concern is that every racing formula down to karts will have to have this thing — where does it stop? I think that at a certain point, as a driver, you have to accept certain risks,” Horner said. This is the end of Formula One for me – Sir Jackie Stewart Triple-time F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart has proposed that those opposed to F1’s introduction of cockpit “halos” in 2018 could end up on the wrong side of history. The verdict to introduce Halo for the 2018 season has been hugely debated, with Mercedes chief Niki Lauda claiming the cockpit protection “destroys the DNA” of a sport which has always featured open cockpits. Stewart says the tone of the criticisms of Halo sound familiar. “My view is: if you can save a life and if some of these people – if they had been to as many funerals as I’ve been to and wept as much as I have and seen close friends die [they wouldn’t object],” Stewart told Autosport. “That’s all finished because we’ve got technology that’s taken away that. “I read correspondent’s columns that (say) ‘this is the end of Formula One for me, I’m out of it, I can’t stick with this,’ ” Stewart said. “Well that was like people saying ‘Jackie Stewart’s going to kill motorsport’ because of track safety.” “There’s no point in me saying (previous eras were) ‘just dangerous and then you had to be careful and cautious and when men were men’ — bulls**t,” Stewart said. The “halo” cockpit head protection system Formula One governing body, FIA, has been looking at ways to advance cockpit protection and limit the risk of head injuries after French F1 driver Jules Bianchi died in July, 2015, and British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died a month later. “The halo will become the strongest part of the car, a secondary wall structure [along with the helmet] and can take about 15 times the car’s weight,” FIA safety director Laurent Mekies said at a news conference on Thursday (local time). We know that our resistance against small objects has stepped up.” The halo design forms a semi-circular barrier around the driver’s helmet in the front half of the cockpit, protecting against debris without completely closing the cockpit. Initially tested ahead of 2016, drivers were split as to whether they liked it, with some, such as three-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, criticizing it on aesthetic grounds. The device is expected to weigh about eight kilograms, and Mercedes duo Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, both expressed worry the extra weight would have an impact on driving, mainly on cornering speeds. Other safety devices were considered before the halo was approved by the FIA last month. Legal issues forced 2018 F1 Halo introduction ? Horner
The key now is if a safety device that could save lives and prevent injury exists and is not mandated, the entire race series and its participants are fair game in a court in the event of an injury. Series owners, promoters, teams, tracks, etc. all could be at risk. Once F1 accepts such a device, it must be adopted by others. Unfortunately, whether you accept and approve of this or not, the halo is awful looking and might not be the best solution.
I fail to see the logic in that argument: they should limit the speeds to 50 mph as that will further prevent accidents and injuries
Exactly, and again, it's the unintended consequences that no one thinks about or can see until something tragic happens with this new "safety device". The only way to prevent injuries and possible death is to fold up completely. We've evolved into this bubble where somehow people actually think everything bad can be prevented. It's a ridiculous notion.
