Sauber to Make HANS Race Debut in Italy

Sauber drivers Nick Heidfeld and Felipe Massa will give the controversial Head and Neck Support System (HANS) its Formula One race debut at Monza next week after final tests in Monza this week.

The device, which is designed to protect drivers from injury in head-on collisions, will be mandatory for all teams next season, but the Sauber pair have long been supporters of the idea and will race it ahead of schedule.

Sauber technical director Willi Rampf said the Swiss-based team planned to use the system in next week's first free practice session before making any decision about Saturday's qualifying.

Massa has tested the device regularly this year, and after the test in Monza on Thursday and Friday, he said: "I completed a full race distance during which I was wearing the HANS system. I am very happy with the way we have adjusted it now to suit me and I felt completely comfortable with it so the team now plans to race it for both of us this weekend."

The cumbersome device fits over the driver's shoulders and attaches to the helmet but it is very driver specific and many have complained that it is uncomfortable and restrictive. It has been mandatory in the US-based CART series for some years, but although it is ideal for the high-speed ovals there have been similar complaints from drivers when teams run the system on road courses.

Massa hit his nose on his steering wheel during a high-speed crash at the Ste Devote corner in Monaco this year, and he admitted afterwards that the device could have protected him. In Monza, the device will be in its element as it is the fastest track on the Grand Prix calendar and therefore has the biggest chance of a head-on crash occurring.

Massa's test at Monza on Thursday, however, is understood to have been the first Grand Prix race distance the HANS device has ever covered, and the team will still have to decide whether to race it after using it in practice next weekend.