The FIA has confirmed that Formula One cars will adopt cockpit protection from the 2018 season onwards, rather than next season as originally planned.
The FIA’s Strategy Group agreed to push back the introduction of the radical change 12 months in order to provide additional development time for the favored ‘Halo’ system pioneered by the Ferrari squad.
The delay will allow for additional on-track tests of the Halo design during practice sessions this year and at the start of the 2017 season. Additionally, the FIA believes that an extra year of development could lead to an even more effective solution for protect drivers, potentially an improved version of Red Bull Racing’s proposed ‘Aeroscreen’.
While the appearance of the Red Bull Aeroscreen was favored by many after its on-track debut, the Austrian squad decided against developing its solution further in order to allow it to focus all of its energy on its 2017 F1 car.
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