Halo 'not the complete solution' - Newey

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Adrian Newey is not against the introduction of the Halo cockpit protection device but says it is "not the complete solution" to driver safety.

The FIA is pushing ahead with plans to introduce increased cockpit protection for drivers next season, with the Halo its preferred device. With a final decision expected by the end of July, the likes of Christian Horner and Guenther Steiner have called for its introduction to be delayed by a year, while Sebastian Vettel is also unhappy with some visibility aspects.

While Newey is not against the Halo's introduction, Red Bull's chief technical officer believes more needs to be done as the current design does not represent the ideal solution in terms of cockpit protection.

"Aerodynamic design, it’s not a huge influence," Newey said. "I do believe that something needs to be done and there are various solutions.

"One of the things certainly that could be immediately addressed, and in many formulas, is that while wheel tethers have been a huge step forwards, they are not 100 percent and we still see wheels coming off completely in Formula One and also in the lower formulas.

"I think that needs further work, but that wouldn’t solve some of the accidents we have seen because it’s not been all wheels flying around. We can all debate whether it should be a Halo, a simpler solution like a rod running down the centre line or indeed the open canopy or the closed canopy. It’s a difficult one.

"I think the Halo will help in some of the accidents that have occurred, but it’s not the complete solution. We’ve got to keep working."

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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.