Wolff concerned about Halo after Hulkenberg accident

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is one of a number of people in Formula 1 questioning whether the Halo cockpit protection device is the right approach to driver safety.

He was speaking after worrying scenes at the start of Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when Nico Hulkenberg was trapped in his overturned Renault following a first lap accident.

"I could not get out by myself," the German told reporters afterwards. "On the right was the wall, on the left was the Halo."

Whiting defends Hulkenberg extraction process despite Halo

The German driver complained of being left hanging upside down 'like a cow' while a brief flash fire blazed at the back of the car. Over the team radio he sounded understandably worried as he reported: "Get me out of here, there's fire!"

Marshalls with extinguishers were immediately on hand to deal with it. Racing director Charlie Whiting subsequently said that the extrication of the driver from the cockpit had gone entirely to plan.

"It was very controlled from what I could see," he told Motorsport.com. "Our medical delegate was more than happy with the way it was done. It all worked exactly as it should."

But the whole spectacle raised concerns for Wolff.

"What worries me is that he did not get out of the car even when he saw the flames," he is quoted as saying by Welt newspaper.

"If something really happens, then we would have to develop a system where a driver can get out of the car."

Former Mercedes driver and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg admitted that Sunday's scenario - where the driver was trapped in a burning car - was the major argument against the use of the Halo in Formula 1.

He said it was "the only flaw, the only vulnerability, with the Halo," and added: "Basically the safety is much better with it, but perhaps we need to look again."

As for Hulkenberg himself, he later said he didn't know whether he would have been able to get out of the car by himself before it was turned back the right way up if the Halo hadn't been present.

"I don’t know if the Halo blocked me or not,” he said. “To the right I had the barrier anyway and then there was a very small gap. I was just sitting tight waiting for the marshals and they reacted very quickly and got me out.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.