Barrichello happier with HANS variant
Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello pronounced himself much happier with an updated version of the HANS head and neck safety device in testing at Barcelona today (Thursday)
The Brazilian, who received special dispensation on medical grounds in Malaysia to race without the safety system, tried a variant based on the type used by McLaren's David Coulthard. It features a double belt system, aimed at making it more comfortable in the cockpit.
Barrichello told autosport.com: "It seems good, better than the old system. I'd like to try it on a long run to make a final decision, though."
Rubens tried the Ferrari F2003-GA chassis for the first time today, and was cautiously optimistic about the new car's merits.
"This car is very easy to drive, it feels good, but it needs more running," he said.
Toyota's Olivier Panis revealed to autosport.com that a belt on his HANS device slipped loose mid-corner in testing today, just like Minardi's Justin Wilson suffered in the Malaysian GP. Panis said: "If that had happened in a grand prix it would have been a problem."
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