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Jolyon Palmer has hit out at the FIA's decision to bring the Halo into Formula 1 for 2017, stating that you can't "put a bubble" around the drivers. F1's governing body took the decision prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix to introduce the Halo for 2018, a settlement which has seen a backlash from some drivers and many fans.
Palmer has been a strong critic of head protection since it first cropped up in meetings despite the FIA releasing a presentation showing how the Halo works and the tests that were carried out on the device.The presentation showed a positive effect in serious incidents where a driver's head was exposed or in danger.
One test that was carried out was how the Halo would have fared in Henry Surtees fatal 2009 accident when the 18-year-old was killed in a Formula 2 race. The test showed that the device had a positive effect in that particular incident, but Palmer, who was taking part in that very same race, will not let the outcome of the test defer his opinion.
"I was literally the car ahead of Henry, and saw the wheel that hit him in my live view," Palmer said. "At the time, I didn’t even imagine that could happen to be honest. I was a young, naive, racing driver. When that happened then of course it surprises you that there is actually some danger in motorsport, but I’ve carried on racing in my career for eight years and not had a worry at all about that, and that incident couldn’t have happened closer to me.
"I am not naive or disrespectful to that. I just think the whole essence of single seater racing is open top and I think Henry’s incident, we were racing on Brands GP, there were very fast corners, very little runoff, we were doing high speeds. The wheel tethers, they were already up to FIA spec at the time and they got improved after that, in Formula One we have even stronger wheel tethers.
"I think the problems from F2 back then and in IndyCar with Justin [Wilson’s] incident, they’re not problems we experienced in modern Formula 1 circuits where you’ve got huge runoffs at Copse or something. I am not ignoring the risk because I have raced every time knowing there’s a bit of risk. But you cannot put a bubble around the drivers. There’s always going to be some problems."
Fergal Walsh
So says the guy in nineteenth place in the drivers standings with zero points.
He's right. I know of no accident that would have been prevented by the halo.
I watched the video, and can't believe how pathetic it was.
Check out the 'Egress & Extrication' section. The model has no wheels and three technicians gently lower it onto its side so that it is conveniently resting on the side / front of the halo. It would not be in this position if there were wheels on the vehicle..... If it were completely upside down, there would be NO WAY for the driver to extricate himself!! and check out the bullet points, 1. "Turning the car back onto its wheels is already the preferred procedure" and 2. "Rapid marshal intervention will ensure additional risks (e.g. fire) are nullified before and while the car is being turned back onto its wheels, allowing the driver to get out as normal". That's pathetic.....
I wonder what 'The Brundle' would make of such footage and statements, I recall an interview where he remembered freaking out after finding himself upside down following his 1995 accident in Adelaide, and how relieved he was that he was able to climb out and restart the race in the spare car.
The evidence as presented appears very flimsy. I only hope that egress won't be shown to be an issue. Even when the car is not upside-down, the drivers certainly won't be able to leap out of the car as Palmer did in Baku when his engine caught fire.
I also reckon that the chance of an object being deflected downward by the halo into the helmet or body of the drive has got to be much greater than what they are stating.
Well said Palmer, the Halo is ghastly and unwanted.
Well, Palmer, look at the bright side - It's not a problem you'll have to deal with next year.
Savage haha
They designed halo to prevent wheels hitting the drivers. I did not see this happening ever since wheel tethers were introduced. What a load of bollocks. They are just legally covering their ass in case someone sues, because FIA had a "possible solution" but chose not to implement it. They should have never brought it up, but it's too late now. The ASS needs to be covered
Not only for flying tyres, its basically meant to avoid any potential impact to the drivers or at least reduce the damage from such an impact. It wouldnt've helped Bianchi, true, but many other incidents would've been helped by the Halo apparently.
As for flying tyres: surely you have, it has happened even after the tethers, as pointed out by Sky, and tethers doesnt help if the tyre isnt fastened properly, a problem we've also seen multiple times.
Now Im not a fan of the Halos either, and I agree that it was probably done to cover their asses, but like it or not, there is a good reason for why they are considering the Halos.
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Well, Palmer, look at the bright side - It's not a problem you'll have to deal with next year.