18/02/2018
NEWS STORY
Next week's opening test at Barcelona sees the Halo device run in anger for the first time.
While the protection device has been run in previous tests and in Friday morning practice sessions at a number of races over the last two years, the upcoming test in Barcelona will see all the cars running it throughout.
Speaking to Motorsport.tv, Valtteri Bottas revealed that he has already completed a race simulation in the team's simulator, with the device fitted, and experienced no issues.
"In the simulator I've done a race simulation already with the Halo, and I have to say during the race I never noticed it anymore," he said.
"Once you get used to it it's there and you get used to it," he added, "I think that's going to be the same for the spectators.
"Initially, it's something new, it looks different, and some people say it's not nice at all. But I think it's only a matter of time everyone will get used to it, and if it can avoid even one injury - big or small - it's a good device."
His claim that after a race or two the fans won't notice is a view shared by Paddy Lowe who claims that it will be accepted by the fans as early as the second race.
"I think by the second race nobody will notice it any more," the Williams technical boss told reporters at the unveiling of the team's 2018 contender on Thursday.
"I've been a big supporter of making some improvement in that area which is the biggest remaining risk in Formula One to the drivers," he continued.
"We've had roughly once per year, for the last two years that I've been looking out, an event where you go ‘that really was lucky, someone got away with it there'," he said. "I think it would only be a matter of time before we weren't saying somebody's been lucky, but they were unlucky. So that's a really good project."