Mercedes' Nico Rosberg backs halo F1 cockpit protection concept

Nico Rosberg has given his seal of approval to Formula 1's new halo cockpit protection system, even though he appreciates it is not visually pleasing at present

Kimi Raikkonen trialled the device on his Ferrari for one lap at the start of the third day of the second pre-season test at Barcelona.

Rosberg caught Raikkonen in action and immediately posted the photo to his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages asking for fans' opinions.

GALLERY: Raikkonen tries the cockpit halo

Only 25 per cent gave a positive reaction, with 75 per cent against, but Rosberg is all for it.

"It's a big thing. I just felt like putting it on my Facebook this morning to see what the opinions are out there," said Rosberg.

"My opinion is it really is a massive step in safety because most of the fatalities we've had in racing in the last years.

"This would have saved those people, so it's a huge step, definitely needed.

"OK, visually, you can say it's not quite as good as now, but from some angles, like from the front of Kimi's car, it looked very cool actually.

"With a bit of thinking, it can look cool eventually, so I'm all for it."

ROSBERG WORKS ON SET-UP TWEAKS

On track, following his morning run before team-mate Lewis Hamilton took over in the afternoon, Rosberg completed 81 laps and was fourth quickest, albeit on a set of medium-compound tyres .

The German has confirmed running a different programme from previous days, working from a baseline with his car in order to focus on different set-ups.

"Every day is totally different because we have such a limited amount of days, and we're really pushing to the maximum to use them," said Rosberg.

"Today was especially interesting as I kept everything the same all morning, fuel level, tyres, so I could just change the car to get a really good feeling.

"Every time I was going out with a different set-up just to try and learn about the new car, and with the conditions great as well, it was a really valuable experience."

Rosberg has confirmed to feeling "ready for Melbourne" after conducting a race simulation, but has dismissed suggestions he already has an edge over Hamilton given their laptimes.

"I wouldn't care to say that," said Rosberg.

"It's looking good, yes, and I'm optimistic for the start of the season."

shares
comments

Audi draws a line through possible Formula 1 programme again

FIA might have to reconsider independent F1 engine - Horner

How football has posed difficult questions for F1

How football has posed difficult questions for F1

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
GP Racing

How football has posed difficult questions for F1 How football has posed difficult questions for F1

The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1

The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1 The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1

Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Alex Kalinauckas

Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip

How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip

Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out

Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
British GP
GP Racing

Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out

How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation

How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
GP Racing

How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation

How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again

How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
GP Racing

How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again

Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge

Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
GP Racing

Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge

Subscribe