F1 is rushing halo cockpit protection decision - Force India
Bob Fernley believes the FIA should hold off introducing the halo cockpit protection device in Formula 1 because more evaluation into the options needs to be carried out
The FIA has chosen the halo design over Red Bull's aeroscreen because the time constraints to get it incorporated into 2017 cars designs is running short.
A modified version of the halo - first seen on the Ferrari during pre-season testing - is scheduled for further safety testing and should it pass, the design will be formally approved in July.
But Force India deputy team principal Fernley told Autosport: "I believe that we should evaluate it fully and that if there are doubts that it doesn't deal with all issues - and I don't believe the halo does - then we shouldn't rush into doing something.
"In my view it's much better that you do the full evaluation and then come in with a solution that you're completely satisfied with.
"There are gaps. Gaps that springs go through, or manhole covers. So why are you sure that that is the right solution?
"We could bring it in for '18, having done a full evaluation of the process and that would still meet all the needs of the safety requirements.
"I just don't see the massive need to be that urgent with what we're doing with it but that's only my opinion."
Nico Rosberg has backed the decision to introduce the halo.
"We had another event on Thursday with the drain, and the halo can help in such instances I would expect, so we have another example where it could be very beneficial," said the Mercedes driver.
"It's the right way to go."
His team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who is not in favour of such a device, added: "If the rule changes, the rule changes. We're all in the same boat."
Renault's Kevin Magnussen prefers the aeroscreen but said something needs to be done on the basis of safety.
"The aeroscreen looks better than the halo," he said.
"I hope [the halo] looks better than we saw in testing.
"In Formula 1 things need to look sexy, but we can't not do what has to be done for safety.
"It's a difficult one because I don't really want it, but I don't want to die and I don't want anyone else to die."
McLaren duo Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button said they back whatever decision the FIA has made.
"It's difficult to comment without trying it," Alonso said. "If they chose that one, it is because they saw some advantage over the other solutions.
"I agree with that. Hopefully we can try it soon."
Button added: "We have to trust the FIA. In terms of safety, it's the only area of the car which really needs a good upgrade as we've seen many times.
"I trust in the FIA and so long as it doesn't make us all go cross-eyed, I'm all for it."
Monaco Grand Prix: Daniil Kvyat's car fails F1 scrutineering
McLaren still believes it has third-best chassis in F1
Sauber keen to "give the best to Alfa Romeo" amid Audi F1 links
Frederic Vasseur says that Sauber is focusing to “give the best to Alfa Romeo” through its Formula 1 partnership amid links to a possible takeover by Audi in the future.
Former F1 race director Masi to get Supercars Commission role
Former Formula 1 race director Michael Masi is set to become the new Chairman of the Supercars Commission in Australia.
Verstappen: No quick solution to extremely heavy F1 cars
Red Bull world champion Max Verstappen thinks there is no quick solution to tackle the burgeoning weight of Formula 1 cars, which has proven an unpopular aspect of the 2022 rules revolution.
Grading F1's 2022 drivers at half-term
Over the first 13 races of Formula 1's new ground effects era, Max Verstappen has surged into the lead in the world championship over Charles Leclerc. But as the 2022 season prepares to roar back into life, who stacks up as the top of the class, and who must do better? We graded every driver based on their performances so far
Grading F1's 2022 drivers at half-term
Over the first 13 races of Formula 1's new ground effects era, Max Verstappen has surged into the lead in the world championship over Charles Leclerc. But as the 2022 season prepares to roar back into life, who stacks up as the top of the class, and who must do better? We graded every driver based on their performances so far
The 10 stories to watch out for across the rest of the 2022 F1 season
It’s 13 down, nine to go as the Formula 1 teams pause for breath in the summer break. But what can we expect to happen over the next three months from Belgium to Abu Dhabi? Here's the key storylines to keep an eye out for the rest of the 2022 season
The inconvenient truth about F1’s ‘American driver’ dream
OPINION: The Formula 1 grid's wait for a new American driver looks set to continue into 2023 as the few remaining places up for grabs - most notably at McLaren - look set to go elsewhere. This is despite the Woking outfit giving tests to IndyCar aces recently, showing that the Stateside single-seater series still has some way to go to being seen as a viable feeder option for F1
How a bad car creates the ultimate engineering challenge
While creating a car that is woefully off the pace is a nightmare scenario for any team, it inadvertently generates the test any engineering department would relish: to turn it into a winner. As Mercedes takes on that challenge in Formula 1 this season, McLaren’s former head of vehicle engineering reveals how the team pulled of the feat in 2009 with Lewis Hamilton
The under-fire F1 driver fighting for his future
Personable, articulate and devoid of the usual racing driver airs and graces, Nicholas Latifi is the last Formula 1 driver you’d expect to receive death threats, but such was the toxic legacy of his part in last year’s explosive season finale. And now, as ALEX KALINAUCKAS explains, he faces a battle to keep his place on the F1 grid…
The strange tyre travails faced by F1’s past heroes
Modern grand prix drivers like to think the tyres they work with are unusually difficult and temperamental. But, says MAURICE HAMILTON, their predecessors faced many of the same challenges – and some even stranger…
The returning fan car revolution that could suit F1
Gordon Murray's Brabham BT46B 'fan car' was Formula 1 engineering at perhaps its most outlandish. Now fan technology has been successfully utilised on the McMurtry Speirling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, could it be adopted by grand prix racing once again?
Hamilton's first experience of turning silver into gold
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has been lumbered with a duff car before the 2022 Mercedes. Back in 2009, McLaren’s alchemists transformed the disastrous MP4-24 into a winning car with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel. And now it’s happening again at his current team, but can the rate of progress be matched this year?