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FIA confirms Halo safety device to be used in F1 in 2018

The FIA has confirmed the Halo cockpit protection safety device will be used from the 2018 Formula 1 world championship, after getting the green light in a Strategy Group meeting today.

In what was called an 'extraordinary' Strategy Group meeting involving every F1 team, the FIA and Liberty it was confirmed the Halo safety device will be mandatory for all F1 cars from 2018.

The Halo got backing over the other safety alternatives, including the Shield which debuted on Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari during FP1 of the British Grand Prix but was openly criticised, after the unanimous vote in July 2016 was made to introduce cockpit protection to F1 cars.

The Halo is set to be introduced for the 2018 season and will undergo 'enhanced' design changes and features with assistance coming from F1 teams.

"Having developed and evaluated a large number of devices over the past five years, it had become clear that the Halo presents the best overall safety performance," the FIA statement read.

The Halo was trailed by every F1 driver during the 2016 season in practice sessions and tests and initially received mixed reviews, with Lewis Hamilton claiming he'd 'rip it off' if it was introduced to his car, but a number of drivers have strongly defended the design to improve safety.

The FIA stated the Halo would undergo further design research and development but it hasn't been publicly tested so far in 2017. It is understood teams will begin similar testing of the Halo during the remainder of the year in preparation for its official introduction next year.

2021 Power Unit plans

The FIA statement also confirmed every F1 team has been informed of the detailed discussions between 'the bulk of global motor sport power unit manufacturers' which was held last month in Paris, with a further analysis to be completed in time for the next Strategy Group meeting in September.

Cost capping

Controlling the spiralling power unit costs has also been confirmed, with a dedicated group made up of the FIA, F1 teams and Liberty to make the sport sustainable in the future.

Improving the show

The FIA also confirmed a number of sporting measures aimed at improving the show were also debated, with studies to be carried out to assess the ideas.

F1 recently introduced a new project which debuted in London last week ahead of the British Grand Prix called 'F1 Live London'.

The event was considered a success by the sport's heads with every F1 team on show, a special pop concert, F1 demonstration runs on the city streets at Trafalgar Square while every active F1 driver attended - except for Lewis Hamilton which sparked controversy - but still attracted hundreds of thousands of fans. 

Zdroj: crash.net