The FIA believe that the aeroscreen would not have protected Charles Leclerc even 10% as much as the halo did in his opening lap crash in Spa.
The aeroscreen is a cockpit safety device which was an aesthetically superior alternative to the halo.
However, the halo was the one that got chosen, and it offered 10 times more protection to Charles Leclerc when Fernando Alonso flew over the top of his Sauber in the opening exchanges of the Belgian GP.
An investigation into the incident confirmed that the Monegasque driver would have been hit in the head by Alonso’s front wing had the halo not been in place.
Versions of the aeroscreen had been tested by Red Bull, and have also been used in IndyCar tests, but it was deemed unable to protect the driver like the halo would.
“What we’ve seen with the accident in Spa is that the sort of device tested by IndyCar would probably not have been as effective, it would probably only offer about 10 per cent of the protection that Halo offers,” FIA race director Charlie Whiting said.
The halo will be redesigned completely for the 2021 campaign, with its aesthetics the main consideration.
“The next generation of halo will be part of the F1 regulation update planned for 2021,” FIA safety director Adam Baker said.
“Importantly the halo is a key element of the car concept from the beginning, enabling a true structural integration and a shape which blends visually into the profile of the car.
“The new camera position gives us a better view of the upper body and its interaction with the cockpit environment without obstruction from the steering wheel.
WOW ? ? ? ?#BelgianGP ?? #F1 @Charles_Leclerc pic.twitter.com/GOy3Jfszhd
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 27, 2018
“The halo camera will be fitted in all cars for the first Formula E race of season five in Riyadh. It will then be adopted into F1 for 2019 and F2 for 2020.”
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