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F1 halo system: Head protector introduced for 2018 season is splitting opinion

The halo: The titanium safety device surrounds the driver but does not impair his vision: EPA
The halo: The titanium safety device surrounds the driver but does not impair his vision: EPA

It has riled purists and traditionalists alike, but the halo head protector is here to stay.

One of the biggest safety innovations in Formula One’s history has been likened to a flip-flop or the wishbone from a roast chicken.

As a former team boss turned rule-maker, Ross Brawn — now managing director of racing for F1 — understands both sides of the argument, but he is insistent that improving driver safety eclipses everything.

“I don’t think Formula One can be too safe,” said Brawn. “The balance is for the sport to keep its identity but also to improve safety where possible. I don’t think anyone wants the sport to be any less safe.”

The halo is seven years in the making. Talks over its use began in 2011 and many different innovations were tried, including a full shield. The journey to where the sport is now has not been straightforward, either: the halo’s initial introduction for the 2017 season was put on hold for a year and finally makes its race bow at Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

It has not been universally popular with team bosses and drivers alike, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff saying: “If you gave me a chainsaw, I would take it off.”

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has been equally vociferous in his dislike of the halo. “They are abusing the DNA of the sport a bit,” said the Dutchman. “They say it is for safety but I think in every sport there is always a risk.”

The argument of many of its critics is that it diminishes the spectacle in that the danger aspect of the sport is reduced — an argument both Brawn and FIA president Jean Todt find baffling.

“Anything we can do to improve safety which doesn’t change the nature of the sport we should be doing,” insists Brawn.

Hamilton(EPA)
Hamilton(EPA)

Todt, meanwhile, pointed out the halo had been pushed for in an initial 2015 letter from the drivers.

“It is [a case of] short memories,” said the Frenchman. “In 2016, the drivers said, ‘don’t be weak, please respect what we have asked you on safety’. So, we committed to taking their request into consideration, because it’s a fair request. And here came the halo.”

The other criticisms centre on the cost to the teams. Although the halo costs about £10,000, it is heavy and teams have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on innovations to cut weight elsewhere. The device also wreaks a certain amount of havoc on the car’s centre of gravity, while drivers have complained about it affecting their line of vision.

Other changes for 2018 are that ‘shark fins’ on the rear of the cars will not be making a return, something Brawn was keen to push out from the outset of taking up his role, while another new rule — aimed at cutting costs — has seen the engine allowance per driver cut from four to three for the 21 races on the calendar.