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FIA plans on introducing head protection in 2017

The FIA plans to introduce additional head protection for F1 drivers from the 2017 season.

Following discussions with technical chiefs from teams at Heathrow last Friday, the FIA has approved the 'Halo' design concept put forward by Mercedes in an attempt to provide more head protection from large items of debris in accidents.

The BBC reports the FIA wants to introduce the concept in 2017, and is attempting to finalise the design with the teams to ensure the same structure is used on every car.

Grand Prix Drivers' Association chairman Alex Wurz welcomed the news and says the drivers are aware of the impact such a change could have on cockpit visibility.

"Obviously the drivers are happy that the technical team representatives agreed for the additional head protection to come in for 2017 following the drivers' recommendation and the FIA research," Wurz told the BBC.

"We will now enter the design phase, where the drivers need to be open to a slightly different visibility spectrum due to the additional structure. I am also curious as to how the teams will make the new solution look cool and fast."

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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.