Here’s What The Future F1 Halo Cockpit Protection Might Look Like

While it raised many questions when FIA decided its introduction for this season, the truth is most F1 drivers say you don’t lose much visibility with the Halo protection device, as was originally surmised.

Still, safety is one of the main concerns in Formula 1, and future cars will probably employ improved designs in the coming years.

Here, for example, are two unofficial renderings by Olcay Tuncay Karabulut of what the they could look like. One is an ultra-slim version which might struggle to pass safety tests in the real world, whereas the other features a double bar design.

The former, if deemed safe by the FIA, could at least in theory help by allowing drivers a less obstructive view. A while back, Lewis Hamilton admitted that you do lose some visibility with the halo, albeit a very small percentage down long straights.

While a thinner bar could certainly be a solution to that issue, what if F1 cars switched to a double-bar design? One that doesn’t seem to obstruct the driver’s view all that much? Such a device would allow for perfect straight line visibility, while working quite well in the corners too – there are plenty of visual cues for the drivers to follow when cornering, such as the edges of the cockpit and the wheels.

Then again, there are designs that would eliminate any type of visibility issues altogether, such as the Aeroscreen, which was actually praised by Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button back in 2016. It was one of the designs considered for the 2018 season, but eventually the FIA ditched it in favor of the Halo.