Have Your Say: Formula One 'Halo' - Good, Bad or Just Ugly?

[NtsParadize]

Knee-jerk reaction after Jules' crash. Ugly device.

 

[Steve Lorenz]

Its just ugly, but i stopped watching F1 in 2016 already.
Indycar screen is way better for an spectator and hopefully more important for the safety.
Massa's injury couldnt be stopped with Halo.
Maybe they should stop open wheelers at all and do only sick prototypes, because of safety.

 

[Nevini]

Why not simply enclose the whole cockpit. That would be the safer option and do away with all open cockpit racing.

 

[John Addison]

Halo will be gone by mid season.

 

[Jimlaad43]

My worry is that there will be some big crash this year that involves some kind of failure of the halo( to protect the head fully or to make it harder for the driver to exit ect) that will drive the F1 fan base into chaos as a result

The regaulations that govern how strong the halo is mean this is not going to happen.

 

[James Cook]

Ugly cars just got a lot uglier.

I don't care what anyone says, aesthetics are a significant part of the appeal of F1 and the cars just look an absolute state. It's a huge turn-off.

Furthermore, I don't believe the halo is strictly necessary. Drivers know and accept the risks (and in private I expect most drivers despise the halo) and Formula One is very safe. The Bianchi crash was a very sad freak incident caused by speeding under a double yellow. It's also questionable whether the halo would have saved him.

 

[Benutzername]

I have a question:

Imagine that scenario:

A wheel goes loose on the circuit, and collides with the halo. Where does the wheel bounce? Against a marshall? To the crowd?

Introduce mandatory halo for spectators and marshalls?

 

[Cheesenium]

Ugly and I do not think it will be helpful with a pylon obstructing the view of a driver. I hate it in AMS with the optional halo on their open wheel.

I rather have shield if not, go closed cockpit entirely. Not half hearted measures like halo.

 

[Neilski]

How well do the screens/shields in other open-wheel cars work, especially in the rain? (I don't follow Indy.)

 

[Matthew327]

Please can somebody link to proof that it could have helped in the last f1 head-injuries ?
Because these accidents should really be setting the standard for a new safety device.
Until then they should just keep it, as it improves safety anyway.

https://www.fia.com/news/fia-video-presenting-facts-behind-halo

 

[Matthew327]

How well do the screens/shields in other open-wheel cars work, especially in the rain? (I don't follow Indy.)

It's not been tested in the rain yet. According to IndyCar officials, the surface is water-repellant, so combined with high speeds the visibility should be similar to a helmet visor in the rain. Plus, there'll likely be peel-off-visors of some sort on the screens too.

 

[Neilski]

It's not been tested in the rain yet. According to IndyCar officials, the surface is water-repellant, so combined with high speeds the visibility should be similar to a helmet visor in the rain. Plus, there'll likely be peel-off-visors of some sort on the screens too.

Water-repellent sounds good. Peel-offs sound scary (access for one, massive bits of plastic sucked into brake ducts or engine intakes for another).

 

[Andrew Harper]

As a driver i would prefer something like shield. When i think about protection i have the Massa crash in mind, i dont think that halo can hold of a small piece like a spring.

I was listening to a good interview with Justin Wilson's brother (Stefan) some weeks ago and he made some good points.

As a driver he knows what he does is dangerous, that he could be seriously injured or killed doing what he loves, all drivers accept that.

When something goes wrong they want it to be something they can control, if they make a mistake and crash, fair enough. If something breaks on the car they can try and do something to avoid serious injury to themselves and hopefully get out of harms way.

What the drivers were starting to become concerned about was if a piece of wing, or a tyre, or a piece of metal comes flying at you at 150mph+, there's nothing you can do about it and that's the risk element they want to try and remove.

There's no getting away from the fact that more and more single seater drivers are unfortunately being hurt in recent years by being struck on the helmet by large objects.

Of the two I prefer the Indycar aeroscreen. I like the way it curves around the side of the cockpit in a way more akin to a fighter jet. It's not designed to accept the loads of the HALO (I would imagine) but if it stops a piece of metal or piece of debris cracking a helmet then I understand why it's needed.

You could argue that a series like Indycar needs something like this more than F1 simply due to the high speed/high risk nature of oval racing.

The Indycar also lends itself slightly easier to a screen because I would imagine a screen of that shape on an F1 car would probably disrupt airflow to the airbox inlet, which the Indycar doesn't have.

 

[Jolero02]

The regaulations that govern how strong the halo is mean this is not going to happen.

I wasn’t clear in what I meant. I meant that I fear that there will be a crash that the F1 COMMUNITY will feel that the halo has an effect on just because of the hatred that it has for the halo. I myslef acknowledge that it will improve the safety of a driver from debris but am yet up to make my mind over the other implications. Even though my stance is safety first, I still am not sure the halo is the best option for F1.

 

[Andrew Harper]

It's not been tested in the rain yet. According to IndyCar officials, the surface is water-repellant, so combined with high speeds the visibility should be similar to a helmet visor in the rain. Plus, there'll likely be peel-off-visors of some sort on the screens too.

I would imagine the tear-offs will be pit stop crew only anyway. I think on ovals the drivers are only allowed to remove tear offs upon entering the pits? The driver can't reach the screen easily anyway, unless they put tags to pull on them.

If Indycar are clever they could team up with some specialized coatings companies for extra publicity?

The dangers I suppose are tyre rubber and oil, that could make quite a mess on the screen but drivers would be used to that to some degree on visors.

Still early days for the screen though, looking good so far in my view.

 

[mopro]

If it makes the driver safer during big/freak accident, then it is beautiful

 

[JPL083]

Ugly useless piece of... yes that! I dont anymore follow F1 like i used to, as a most of all joke it is comparing to what it was. And those who just say people cannot adapt to thing's changing, there is differences in thing's that what can adapt and what cannot in matter of sense. But you just go whatever someone say's or does. You eat your pizza, someone take's it and put your plate full of s..t. Oh well, i guess i can adapt to that... Well, I wont!

 

[Dazmaniac]

Looking at the HALO design, I don't think it would have stopped Massa getting hit by the spring that flew up from Barrichello's car back in the day. I don't think the HALO would have saved Ayrton Senna or Roland Ratzenberger either.

Yes, it might stop a wheel hitting the driver, but loose wheels from F1 cars are very rare these days, due to how they are tethered to the cars.

I personally think the HALO is the health and safety rules going mad. If it is deemed that F1 requires a HALO device to even be allowed to run, then MotoGP and WSB shouldn't even be allowed to race based upon that logic.

F1 drivers know the dangers before they even jump in to the cockpit. Let them race with their views unrestricted by these unsightly bolt-ons.

 

[Boby Kim]

Not good, not bad, not ugly. Just utterly stupid.
FIA:
"Following a series of serious incidents in open-wheel racing – including the fatal accidents of Henry Surtees and Justin Wilson – in which drivers were struck in the head by debris, the FIA announced plans to introduce additional mandatory cockpit protection with 2018 given as the first year for its introduction.

Let me make myself clear: I do NOT favour any deadly, heavily or mild injuries and or accidents during motorsports. Henry Surtees passed away in 2009 and Justin in 2015...
A halo won't refrain drivers from hitting by flying debris. You need a closed coclpit like a LMP1 car.
And next time maybe the FIA could be a bit quicker...

 

[ltcars]

I actually like the Williams car, I don't see the Halo as an extra part of equipement, just as a part of the car