Ferrari surprised everyone in Barcelona by sending Kimi Raikkonen out in a car fitted with a Halo-style cockpit protection add-on.
Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton took to his Instagram account and shared his feelings about the Mercedes strongest rival’s design.
“Please no! This is the worst looking mod in Formula 1 history. I appreciate the quest for safety but this is Formula 1, and the way it is now is perfectly fine.”
After his lap, Raikkonen said that it doesn’t make that big of a difference visually, as its base sits at a sufficient distance away from the driver’s eyes. Although that may be true on a circuit such as Barcelona, what about when the cars are going uphill, like in Monaco over the crest, T1 in Austin or Spa? It’s clear the FIA, which has decided to introduce extra driver protection in 2017, needs to test this design at various kinds of tracks to ensure it meets its standards.
Another team that’s getting ready to test their own cockpit protection system is Red Bull, who will try out a sort of open top canopy design. Either way, it seems there be drivers and, surely, F1 fans who will object to changing the way cars look today.
Photo: Lewis Hamilton/Instagram
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