“Halo a transition phase”, Grosjean urges F1 to push developments

Romain Grosjean says he hopes the Halo cockpit protector is the first stage in the transition to finding a better solution to increase safety in Formula 1.

The Haas driver has been a strong supporter of increasing cockpit protection in all single-seater motorsport and has welcomed the Halo for 2018 despite the mixed reception regarding its aesthetics and appeal.

Grosjean has urged F1 and the FIA to continue its development push on cockpit protection devices, having seen an Aeroscreen tested in IndyCar this year, and wants the Halo to be considered as “stage one” of the ongoing safety drive while also increasing the visibility of the F1 drivers for fans.

“I hope the Halo is a transition phase and we are going to find something better. This is stage one,” Grosjean told Crash.net. “You can get used to driving with the Halo, that is fine, but there is one thing that I’m not concerned about but I find it sad that we don’t see the drivers anymore.

“At the end of the day there is a driver in the car and we’ve got one helmet livery per year allowed and we don’t even see the livery of the helmet so I think something different would be better.

“But again, safety has to come and it is good enough to put on the car.”

Grosjean, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, says the driver body would never block any move to increase safety having been initially set up in 1961 with the primary focus of improving safety for both drivers and spectators. In the 1960s and 1970s it lead to a number of races and circuits being boycotted by drivers unless key safety measures were put in place.