Formula 1 has agreed to bring in cockpit head protection in 2017, otherwise known as the Halo. On Tuesday, a seminar of the rule-making F1 commission was held and the sport’s supervisors have agreed to adopt a structure that will protect the drivers from debris. Sources from the Federation Internationale de I`Automobile (FIA) governing body, said that a new elimination-style qualifying format could also be proposed this year. Further details have not been released yet.
The Halo Device
Earlier this month, the teams were told that FIA will be introducing a device called ‘halo’, which is designed to protect the drivers from large airborne debris during impacts. The ‘halo’ device has been considered the best agreement in terms of increasing drivers’ safety with the lowest side-effects such as loss of vision or extrication during the accident.
F1 teams have been examining how they will incorporate the cockpit into the cars, forming an oval shape above the driver’s head and sustained by a narrow forward brace.
Death of Frenchman Jules Bianchi
It is unlikely that the ‘halo’ would have prevented the head injuries suffered by Jules Bianchi, who died in July 2015, nine months after his Marussia crashed with another vehicle in the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. However, it is believed that the ‘halo’ would have prevented incidents such as the one that killed IndyCar driver Justin Wilson in August 2015.
Further ‘halo’ statement from FIA is expected to be released later this week.
