FIA design 'shield' cockpit protection concept

The FIA has secretly designed a new cockpit protection system called the 'shield'. It's an evolution of the proposed windscreen that Red Bull designed and trialled at last season's Russian Grand Prix.

The concept will be shown to the drivers at the usual Friday 5 PM briefing in Shanghai and looks to replace the 'halo' which has received a lot of criticism for the way it looks on a car. Head protection is set to take a step forward in 2018 following the recent fatal accidents of Jules Bianchi in F1 and Justin Wilson in IndyCar.

The 'shield' is a protective disc which is smaller than the Red Bull solution and has been integrated optically better into the chassis. However, it does not protect the driver from flying tyres, only smaller objects. 

The drivers will voice their opinion first, and then the engineers, according to Auto Motor und Sport. If the decision to introduce the 'shield' should be put to a vote, it would be brought to the Strategies Group and the Formula 1 Commission. A decision on the concept must also be made quite soon, with April 30th being the deadline. 

Fergal Walsh