Red Bull releases F1 cockpit protection proposal images

Following the public unveiling of the Halo cockpit protection concept, Red Bull has released images of its own proposal.

Ferrari ran a version of the Halo during the final pre-season test in Barcelona at the start of March, leading to a mixed reaction to the device which divided opinion among drivers and F1 figures.

Red Bull has been working on its own proposal during this time and today released the first official images of its design.

Similar to the Halo in that it has a main bar above the driver's head, the Red Bull design features two struts either side of the cockpit rather than one down the middle. It also includes a visor so there is no open space between the top bar and the cockpit sides, in essence a half-canopy.

The FIA's Charlie Whiting said on Thursday there would be no delay to plans to introduce the Halo device even if Red Bull's proposal emerged as a better alternative, with the Halo much further advanced in terms of testing.

"I don’t think we would delay if another one was emerging, as you put it," Whiting said. "We are on a course for the Halo as that has been tested thoroughly and we feel that it offers the best all-round protection.

"We do have a thorough risk assessment to do on a number of different accident scenarios. We want to make sure we are not going to make things worse in certain circumstances, so that has to be done. But I don’t think we would delay it because we felt there was another better one coming."