
Why hating the halo is pointless
The FIA using its safety veto to mandate the halo hasn't gone down well, but its critics are on the wrong side of history
From next year's Australian Grand Prix the halo cockpit ring will be imposed on Formula 1 after the FIA forced through regulation changes despite allegedly nine of the 10 teams being opposed to the introduction of the device pending further trials.
Over three years in the making - and delayed by a year - the halo was developed by Mercedes in reaction to a sequence of deaths and injuries in single-seaters. So it is particularly ironic that the team's non-executive chairman, Niki Lauda - who suffered horrific injuries in an accident 41 years ago next week - is one of the halo's most vocal critics, calling the device "the wrong one" and "an overreaction".
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