Formula One’s halo cockpit protection is on course to make its debut in the 2017 season, putting a lid on the increasing demand for open-cockpit race cars to receive additional protection in the wake of the high-profile deaths of racers Jules Bianchi, Justin Wilson, and Dan Wheldon. The halo-shaped hoop has already undergone extensive testing and it appears that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we’ll be seeing it on Formula One race cars beginning next year.
From a functional purpose, the carbon fiber halo-style hoop was designed to prevent certain types of debris from reaching the driver in the event of a crash. It would be integrated directly into the car, but it does have a hinged locking mechanism on the central supporting stanchion located in front of the drivers’ head so it can be quickly removed if the situation calls for it. Concerns that the stanchion may hinder the driver’s visibility were taken into account in the design of the halo hoop, which is why the stanchion is reportedly so close to the driver that it would have no effect on his line of sight.
Previous tests were done on other concepts, including fighter plane-style canopies that covered the entire cockpit. But fears of debris rebounding and flying high into the air poised a safety risk on other cars and spectators and the difficulty of accessing an injured driver caused those concepts to be shot down. Red Bull Racing, for its part, is currently developing an alternative concept, but as Whiting told Motorsport.com, that concept has never been tested and, as such, is “considerably further behind in development.”
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