F1 'Halo' being readied for other single-seat categories

Formula 1’s new ‘halo’ head protection device will filter down to entry-level global completion starting next year, it has been confirmed.

Speaking in Melbourne last week, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Single-Seat Commission president Stefano Domenicali told motoring.com.au that the addition of halo to the entry-levels of open-wheel racing was a must.

“In the end it’s about safety, so we cannot compromise on that,” Domenicali said.

“Halo has been very fundamental discussion in the single seater world, but my answer is the following: once the discussion started, you know… then you enter it in a ‘no return’ zone.”

“What is important for me, now, is to extend this to all the single seater cars,” he stated.

Timelines for Formula e and F2 (F1’s European feeder category) are set, says Domencali. The global F4 ‘nursery’ category is a priority, however.

The new international F3 class that debuts in 2019 will feature the halo. In December 2017, the FIA announced it would “postpone” the introduction of the second generation F4 car until the end of 2023, however a halo update kit (which has to include a new survival cell), will be made available from 2019 for any new championships, as well as any national series wishing to change.

“With Formula 4 national championships, we’re going to have [Halo] in the next steps of growth. We need to be consistent and that’s what is going to happen,” explained the FIA president, who also doubles as Lamborghini’s global boss.

Domencali contends halo will not be a discussion point for long among F1 watchers.

“I’m pretty sure that [whether] you like it or not, a couple of races and it’s gone [no longer a discussion point]. It’s part of the Formula 1,” he said.

His own company, Lamborghini, is not likely to be part of the global premier class, however. Domencali is adamant there’ll be no single-seater racing for Lamborghini.

“We need to be current [relevant] in what we do [on the racetrack]. We are very strong in GT3: we won the 24 Hours of Daytona and have just won the 12 Hours of Sebring. But you know, as always, when you [undertake] another challenge, you need to understand the reason why you do it.

“And for Lamborghini, there are a lot of things to lose [in single seater racing] instead of to win and that is not part of our nature,” Domencali stated.