F1's Halo Can Take "Roughly The Weight Of A London Double Decker Bus"
Whether or not you like the way F1’s new ‘Halo’ safety device looks (and we’re guessing most of you are in the ‘not’ camp), there’s no denying it’s an impressive piece of kit.
In this video James Allison - Mercedes F1’s Technical Director - explains what the Halo does, and there’s one particularly interesting takeaway: the titanium device can apparently withstand “roughly the weight of a London double decker bus” sitting on top. If he’s talking about one of the new Routemasters, that’s over 12 tonnes.
That’s because it’s not just about deflecting stray objects that might otherwise strike the driver - Halo also needs to stand up to high-speed, ‘cockpit-first’ accidents like the shocker Fernando Alonso somehow walked away from at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.
The teams also need to think carefully about how they can mitigate the adverse aero effects of the device’s less than ideal shape. The regulations will allow for small aero parts to be attached to the Halo, to stop turbulent air being ingested by the engine and to avoid it upsetting the rear wing.
Allison also makes the point that nothing remains the same in F1 for long, so who knows, within a few seasons the Halo might be a little easier on the eye…
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
I rather have this Halo on my F1 racecar.
Maybe we can install it on a GTR 🤔
Just wear the master chief suit
Controversial as its predecessor.
Wtf
Who…who let you in my dungeon…
Good because I always thought when watching F1 “What if suddenly a London bus would fall on one of the cars”. Definitely saved F1
Doesn’t the driver sit slightly under the intake anyways?
😂😂
But what if the F1 Race car was sliding on its side and the same bus falls on it? Should the teams have their sides Haloed too?
It can resist a London bus, but can it fight the roasting and criticism? I THINK NOT
So it can take the weight of the bus that it would probably end up hitting due to its blindspot.
It could’ve looked so much better, but they chose the worst looking design possible.
The thing they’re testing in Indycar does kinda prove that there are considerably less ugly solutions…
I’ve actually thought they looked decent from day one! But I also don’t like the new Supra concept so it may just be me…
To James Allison,
(Clears throat)
🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕
Why tho? It’s not like James was the one who mandated the halo . Since the halo is coming mercedes made a video on it and it features their technical director James Allison. He even mentions a couple of times that it’s not pleasing to the eye . I don’t see the problem in that .
Saying it is one thing, but actually proving it is another, I would like to see that claim put to the test!
I don’t think its that bad I really don’t see why everybody hates it so much.
Will that fit on my honda?