This F1 Life

This F1 Life

- Pat Symonds

F1 MUST LOOK FORWARD: THE PAST IS HISTORY

The halo is now a fact for 2018. Yet rarely – if ever – has a feature that enhances safety caused so much controversy.

It’s true that when the HANS device was introduced, some drivers found it uncomfortable – and, surprisingly, Rubens Barrichello was even given dispensation from wearing it for a race. It’s also true that when the padded headrests were introduced in response to Karl Wendlinger’s injury at Monaco in 1994, the aesthetics left a lot to be desired. The Ferrari in particular looked as if someone had realised the day before the car was completed that it needed to have a headrest incorporated into the design.

The halo, unfortunately, suffers from the same problems as that early Ferrari. It simply has not yet been incorporated into the total vehicle concept. The structure itself is partially determinate. It’s a fact established by the FIA after a spate of rally-car accidents that a certain amount of free space is required around the driver’s helmet. This is because even with the constraints imposed by the HANS device, the very high loads experienced in a severe accident will lead to extreme head movements. The tubular structure itself is also of the minimum section necessary to withstand the loads imposed by a wheel striking the device at 140mph.