Formula 1 is introducing additional cockpit head protection for drivers in 2018 with the ‘halo’ – and it is fair to say the decision is a long way from universally popular.
Triple world champion Niki Lauda – a man who knows something about risk having survived a fiery accident at the 1976 German Grand Prix – has called it the “wrong” move.
Lauda, now non-executive chairman of world champions Mercedes, told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport the move is an “overreaction” that has “destroyed” the good work F1 has done by introducing faster and more dramatic cars this year.
Other leading figures – including 1996 world champion Damon Hill – have also said they disagree with the decision, and fans seem generally opposed as well. So why has it happened and what effect will it have on F1?
Why has the halo been introduced?
F1’s governing body the FIA is constantly striving to improve safety. While driving a racing car at such high speeds can never be safe, it has become clear in the past decade that the driver’s exposed head is the last major risk left unaddressed.
The FIA has been striving to come up with a way to reduce the danger without compromising F1’s central ethos as an open-cockpit, open-wheel formula.
Source: Halo: Is F1’s new head-protection system an ‘overreaction’ or essential? – BBC Sport
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