FIA, Whiting: “Halo system still feasible in F1 for 2017”

The Halo system for the head protection of F1 drivers could be introduced as early as 2017. The FIA ​​confirmed this in Melbourne. Ferrari tested the system in the Barcelona tests and a working group was created, led by Mercedes and Ferrari, which will have to verify the safety and feasibility of the system.

Red Bull has proposed its own alternative version using a sort of windshield but according to FIA race director Charlie Whiting, the Halo system will be on the 22 F1 cars as early as 2017.

“We have been testing the so-called halo extensively,” Whiting said at Albert Park. “It will offer very good protection from flying wheels, for example. This is the main way it has been tested so far. We have to check other aspects like the extraction, talk about it with the medical team but I think it's going very well. As for the solution, Red Bull is undoubtedly further behind in development. It has never been tested. Although it may offer more protection, I have my doubts that it can be implemented for 2017, while I think it is feasible for the halo”.

Current rules require the driver to be able to exit the car on his own within 5 seconds in the event of an accident. The halo may slow down pilots but according to Whiting there are still more benefits than risks: “The benefits of the halo are greater than a slight delay in the worst case of a slower exit. A team assembled the halo and tried to get the pilot out, it was all very simple. We are leaning towards the halo because it has been tested extensively in various accident scenarios because we want to ensure that it does not make things worse in some circumstances. But we don't plan on delaying it while waiting for something better."

The working group will finalize a standard design by May and Whiting stated that the halo will be mandatory and not optional as desired by Lewis Hamilton: “We haven't made HANS optional, we won't make helmets optional so I think it won't be optional either. 'halo”.