Legal issues forced the 'halo' on F1 - Horner

Red Bull Racing's Christian Horner says the FIA had no choice but to back the introduction of the 'halo' safety device after Mercedes' trialed the concept.

When the German outfit presented the cockpit protection component last season, from there on it virtually backed the FIA into a corner, according to Horner.

"Mercedes came out with that concept (Halo) and it put the FIA in a difficult position," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

"If we have an accident now and we don't have Halo on the car, but it might have saved a life, then from a legal standpoint it will be difficult to argue why it wasn't there if it was available," he said.

• Stewart sees 'halo' as necessary pre-emptive measure

Horner, who is no fan of the 'halo', encouraged Red Bull early on to develop an alternative solution for cockpit protection, the 'aeroscreen', which was ultimately dismissed by the governing body.

"That's why we (Red Bull) developed the Aeroscreen -- to try to solve the problem more aesthetically than this 'flip flop'.

"The FIA is now in a corner with only the Halo and no other option.

"My concern is that every racing formula down to karts will have to have this thing -- where does it stop? I think that at a certain point, as a driver, you have to accept certain risks," Horner said.

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