'Halo' gets the green light for 2018 introduction!

The 'Halo' cockpit protection device is set to be introduced in Formula 1 next season after the FIA gave the controversial component the nod in Wednesday's Strategy Group meeting.

The FIA invoked safety grounds to push through the device's introduction, an option it considered better than the shield cockpit device tested last week at Silverstone by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

The German driver wasn't impressed by the shield, claiming visibility was somewhat impaired and made the driver dizzy.

Apparently nine out of the ten teams voted against the Halo's introduction at today's group meeting which was held in Geneva, with Ferrari rumored to have been in favour of the device.

But the FIA overruled the general consensus, and said the device would become part of F1's 2018 regulations on the grounds of safety.

"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 said in a statement.

"With the support of the teams, certain features of its design will be further enhanced."

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The decision still requires ratification from the World Motor Sport Council, which in theory should be a mere formality. The timing of the decision likely took into account current work being conducted on teams' 2018 designs, and which are in the process of being finalised.

The Strategy Group typically includes six teams - Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Williams, McLaren and Force India - the governing body and a representative of the commercial rights holder.

Following Ross Brawn's offer to F1's remaining teams to attend the working group's meetings as simple observers, the opinion of those teams was sought and taken into account.

Other topics included on today's agenda included a new approach to cost control which was apparently well received by the teams, and the direction of the 2021 power unit for which attendees were given an update regarding the two recent extraordinary meetings held in Paris involving significant representation from the bulk of global motor sport power unit manufacturers. 

A number of sporting measures aimed at improving the show were also debated and specific studies will be carried out to assess these. 

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