Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsSafety

Halo: Hamilton blasts 'worst looking mod'

Lewis Hamilton has pleaded for the FIA not to introduce the Halo concept in its search for improved cockpit safety.

Kimi Raikkonen ran a version of the Halo on his Ferrari during his installation lap on Thursday, with a mixed reaction from drivers. When initially asked what he thought of the cockpit protection, Hamilton was clearly not a fan but was careful of voicing his opinion too strongly.

"I saw a picture of it and I just…" Hamilton started before gesturing by dropping his head in to his hand. "That’s my feeling. I’m not going to give you a soundbite!"

However, Hamilton later took to Instagram to make his feelings on the Halo concept clear.

"Please no!" Hamilton wrote alongside a picture of Raikkonen testing the device in the Ferrari. "This is the worst looking mod in Formula 1 history. I appreciate the quest for safety but this is formula 1, and the way it is now is perfectly fine."

Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg tweeted an image of the Halo as Raikkonen returned to the pits and later posted his support for the concept.

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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.