1. Construction

2. History and development
     Alternative systems    Reception  

3. References

4. External links

The halo is a driver crash protection system used in open-wheel racing series which consists of a curved bar placed to protect the driver's head.

The system was introduced in 2015 and became mandatory according to FIA homologation and regulation from 2018. The first tests with the prototypes equipped with the system were carried out in 2016 and in July 2017. Since the 2018 season the FIA has made the halo mandatory on every vehicle in Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 as a new safety measure.^[1]

Construction

The system consists of a bracket that surrounds the driver's head and is connected at three points to the vehicle frame. The component is made of titanium and weighed around 7 kilograms in the version presented in 2016. The weight rose to 9 kilograms in 2017.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

The system is not developed by the teams, but is manufactured by three approved external manufacturers chosen by the FIA and is the same specification for all vehicles^[2].

In a simulation performed by the FIA, using the data of 40 real incidents, the use of the system led to a 17% theoretical increase in the survival rate of the driver.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

History and development

The halo system is based on a Mercedes project; the development work of the simulator was performed by Anthony Davidson.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} After a one-year delay in January 2017, the FIA announced that the development of the system had been completed and it was ready for use.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

The FIA for development examined three fundamental scenarios — collision between two vehicles, contact between a vehicle and the surrounding environment (such as barriers) and collisions with vehicles and debris.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Tests have shown that the halo system can significantly reduce the risk of injury to the driver.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Moreover, in many cases the system was able to prevent the helmet from coming into contact with a barrier when checked against a series of accidents that had occurred in the past.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} During the study of the last case it was found that the halo is able to deflect large objects and provide greater protection against smaller debris.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

The system is used in Formula 1, as well as in all of the FIA formula classes. However, as vehicles will have to be redesigned to introduce this system, for many classes the halo will only be introduced in the new generation of single-seaters.

In August 2017 the Dallara F2 2018, a new Formula 2 car, was presented and was the first to install the halo system.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} The SRT05e Formula E car presented in January 2018 had a halo.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} In November 2018, the 2019 FIA Formula 3 car, which was unveiled in Abu Dhabi, installed the halo too.

Alternative systems

As an alternative to the halo system, Red Bull Racing developed the "aeroscreen".{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} The design, which was similar to a small fairing, did not receive much interest from the FIA. After the drivers had expressed their opposition to the introduction of the halo system,{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} the FIA developed the "shield", a polyvinyl chloride windscreen based on the airbrush concept.^[3]

Sebastian Vettel was the first and only driver to try the shield. During the free practice for the 2017 British Grand Prix, he completed a lap with the new system before ending the test early. He complained of distorted and blurred vision that prevented him from driving.^[4] Its introduction was subsequently excluded, partly because the teams did not have enough time to test and study the shield.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Reception

The system has aroused some criticism, including that of Niki Lauda who claimed that this system distorts the "essence of racing cars".^[5] The system has also proved unpopular with fans, who have said that it is ugly, against the concept of open-cockpit racing, and obstructs the driver's vision. For instance, an unofficial online poll among users on the Autosport Web site showed that around three-quarters of the voters were against the halo.^[6] Other former drivers, including Jackie Stewart, welcomed the system and compared it to the introduction of seat belts, which had been similarly criticised, but then became the norm also on road cars.^[7]

Despite initial criticism, the halo was praised by the community following two incidents where the halo was struck by another car — one in the Formula Two race at Catalunya where Tadasuke Makino's halo was landed on by fellow countryman Nirei Fukuzumi's car and one in the Belgian Grand Prix where Charles Leclerc's halo was struck by Fernando Alonso's airborne McLaren, with both of their haloes showing visible damage from the impact. Both Makino and Leclerc credited the halo for possibly saving their lives, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who had criticised the halo earlier in the season, admitted that it had proved itself following Leclerc's incident.^[8][9]

References

External links

• https://www.fia.com/news/fia-video-presenting-facts-behind-halo
• http://www.racer.com/f1/item/147440-fia-outlines-plans-for-next-version-of-halo
• https://www.wheelsmag.com.au/news/motorsport/1803/fia-abusing-dna-of-f1-with-halo-verstappen
• https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/f1/f1-introduce-halo-cockpit-protection-2018
• http://www.racetechmag.com/2017/07/fia-confirms-halo-system-use-2018-fia-formula-one-world-championship/
• https://www.fia.com/news/how-make-f1-halo

• Voice Tag
• Voice talent
• Voice track
• Voicetrack
• Voice tracking
• Voicetracking
• Voice-tracking
• Voice user interface
• Voice vote
• Voicexml
• VoiceXML
• Voicing
• Void
• Void (cards)
• Void (classical element)
• Void coefficient
• Void deck
• Void (fanzine)
• Void (Java)
• Void pointer
• Void (Sonic the Hedgehog)
• Void type
• VOID (Video Overview in Deceleration)
• Voie maritime du Saint-Laurent
• Voies