04/02/2016
NEWS STORY
Alex Wurz, former F1 driver and Le Mans winner, now chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), is confident the so-called 'halo' device will be introduced as early as next year in a bid to improve driver safety.
The move follows a number of high profile incidents, not only in F1, in which drivers have been seriously injured, in some cases, killed, after suffering head injuries when hit by debris following an incident.
Whilst one immediately thinks of Jules Bianchi, Justin Wilson and Henry Surtees, the incident at Imola which claimed Ayrton Senna's life in 1994 is also being cited, the Brazilian killed when a suspension arm pierced his helmet.
Following a recent push by the GPDA, the FIA has now written to all F1 the teams advising that it wants to introduce the 'halo' device.
"Obviously the drivers are happy that the technical team representatives agreed for the additional head protection to come in for 2017 following the drivers' recommendation and the FIA research," he told BBC Sport. "We will now enter the design phase, where the drivers need to be open to a slightly different visibility spectrum due to the additional structure. I am also curious as to how the teams will make the new solution look cool and fast."
Whilst purists will argue that the proposed device appears to be a step towards fully enclosed cockpits, the fact is nobody wants to see another fatality should the 'halo' be the answer.
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