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Fernando Alonso has said that there should be no debate over the introduction of the halo. The cockpit protection device has been made mandatory for the 2018 season, with teams presenting their new cars with the halo attached this week.
Fans have been left outraged over the design of the device, stating it damages the aesthetics of a Formula 1 car. However, Alonso says that people will forget about the halo after a few races into the upcoming season which kicks off next month.
When asked by Sky Sports if it would soon be forgotten about, Alonso said: "Yeah, I'm sure of that. And again, this is a device that's a safety device, it's head protection for the drivers, so there should not be any debate on that, as long as it's a safety device.
"Yeah, aesthetics aren't the best at the moment, and in the future I'm sure that the sport and the teams will find a way to make it a little bit nicer, for the fans, you know, and for the cars to look a little bit better."
And Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel mirrored Alonso's comments: "During the seat fit it was okay. It was actually less intrusive than I thought. So I'm looking forward to getting out on the track. I'm pretty sure that everyone will get used to it."
Fergal Walsh
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
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Replies (6)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
If it works as intended, then there is no debate, the halo should stay. I am however glad that they are investigating better looking versions.
Fergal Walsh
Posts: 46
I think it's pretty strange the way criticism of the halo works. 50 years ago, Jackie Stewart was laughed at and mocked for suggesting basic safety features. The halo is not "basic" but the concept of head protection has been left relatively untouched. The head is somewhat protected by the airbox of the car when the car turns upside down. It is, in my opinion, time for a change and I think in another 50 years, we could look back and be astonished that drivers' heads were exposed for so long.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I think F1 is moving towards a full cockpit, not yet but sooner or later such a thing will be implemented. Will I mind? Likely not. I dont like the argument many have that F1 needs danger to remain exciting. I, for one, want drivers to be able to push to their fullest and not hold back knowing the chance of them getting harmed is slim. We dont wear seatbelts because they are comfortable, we wear them because its a good protective device. And like the halo, they dont protect us against all dangers, but the protection they do offer is enough for them to be a necessary thing.
dr002
Posts: 141
One of my main concerns is extrication, and in particular what would happen when the car turns upside down. What little space there would be for a driver to extricate himself from an inverted car is totally removed by way of the halo creating a barrier to the space created between the air intake and the ground.
The FIA’s explanation for such an occurrence, that was given in the press conference for the introduction of the Halo, was absolutely farcical.
In the footage (refer link below) the FIA takes a monocoque without wheels and carefully leans it over so that the monocoque is effectively resting on one side of the Halo. Laurent Mekies then concludes that "..... in fact it [the halo] is actually preserving better space for the drivers.... offering more space than what it currently has". If it wasn’t so serious, this conclusion would be positively laughable.
(refer www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&;v=AYkGjUHstKY at 19:45seconds)
My other two main concerns with respect to the halo are: 1. shrapnel deflected ‘downward’ by the halo into the body of the driver; and 2. the driver's ability to extricate himself when the electrical components of the KERS system is still live, as it would appear that the driver would need to climb out over the halo before leaping off the monocoque in order to avoid electrification. This happened at least twice last year, once when Palmer’s Renault was on fire.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
@DR002 all of those problems already exist without the halo aswell. As for shrapnel getting deflected downward: it would basically have to come from the inside of the cockpit for that to happen, and if it does, few safety devices would protect the driver.
Freguz
Posts: 160
It is all about making tiny or small changes, that seems ok individually, but all put together, at the end, it could actually end really badly, reminds me a lot of 'the frog and the boiling water.'..