©Wri2
ALREADY 2018 IN MIND
The opening free practice session at the Autodromo José Carlos Pace saw Kimi Raikkonen, Jolyon Palmer, Romain Grosjean, Nico Hulkenberg, and Marcus Ericsson run the Halo device, as the FIA continues to collect data and feedback before having a form of frontal cockpit protection in 2018.
Formula One’s governing body has made it clear that it wants all drivers to assess the system at least once, as it is still a “strong option” for introduction.
The Halo remains very much a work in progress though (its dimensions and shape remain to be determined). Should the device appear on 2018-spec machines, it is sure to have a major impact on the design of the chassis.
“The loads that we are looking at to react to the Halo are massive,” Force India technical director Andy Green told Racecar Engineering.
“It is a significant additional structure in the chassis to withstand those loads, so it’s a new philosophy, a new chassis for sure. You couldn’t retro-fit a Halo to a current chassis, it just wouldn’t work.”
