LEWIS IN ROW OVER BRIT DEATHS
SEBASTIAN VETTEL has started a row with his Formula One rival Lewis Hamilton by claiming a new cockpit safety feature would have saved the lives of two British drivers. World champion Hamilton (right) described the new ‘halo’ device, which would mean an end to open cockpits, as the ‘worst looking modification in Formula One history’ and insisted drivers should have the choice whether to use it. But German Vettel, who drove with the halo in place on his Ferrari during testing in Barcelona yesterday, believes the carbon fibre guard around the driver’s head must be adopted as planned in the 2017 season. He said: ‘I agree it doesn’t look very nice, but it helps save lives. ‘There are at least two drivers who would still be around — Henry Surtees and Justin Wilson — if we had this type of system. ‘It may be ugly but nothing justifies not having these guys around any more.’
SEBASTIAN VETTEL cited the deaths of two British drivers as the clincher for Formula One ending its historical designation as a fully open-cockpit sport.
The four-time world champion spoke after trying out the ‘halo’ protection system — a carbon fibre guard fitted around the driver’s head. Traditionalists including Lewis Hamilton, who called it the ‘worst’ modification ever in Formula One, see it as being against the spirit of daring. And even some of the halo’s supporters admit it looks ugly.
‘I agree it doesn’t look very nice,’ said Vettel (below) after driving with i t on his Ferrari during testing in Barcelona yesterday. ‘It’s not the picture you are used to seeing for F1.
‘But if it helps increase the safety and helps save lives, there would be at least two drivers who would still be around — Henry Surtees and Justin Wilson — if we had this type of system.
‘It can be ugly but nothing justifies not having these two guys around any more.’
Surtees, son of motor racing legend John Surtees, died aged 18 at Brands Hatch in a Formula Two race seven years ago. A wheel that had become detached from the car of a rival bounced across the track and hit him on the head.
While it is true that the halo would have protected Surtees, the wheel becoming untethered was another reason for the fatality.
IndyCar driver Wilson died at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania last August when a nose cone from a car that had crashed hit the 37-year-old on the helmet.
A number of drivers, including last season’s world championship runner-up Nico Rosberg and McLaren’s experienced line-up of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, agreed with Vettel that the halo represented a step in the right direction.
Hamilton, however, was withering in his criticism, writing on Instagram: ‘ Please no! This is the worst looking mod(ification) in Formula One history.
‘I appreciate the quest for safety but t hi s is Formula One, and the way it is now is perfectly fine.’ Hamilton, who starts his title defence in Melbourne on March 20, added: ‘I’m not having that on my car! I love this sport and F1 cars are unique. They have lost the cool look they used to have i n the 1980s and 1990s and this part is just too drastic.
‘It is not F1 for me. If they do implement it, I hope we have the choice of whether we use it or not. When I get in the car I know there is a certain risk, and safety is a
very, very impor- tant issue for sure. You have to decide how much of a risk you are going to take. I’d rather drive without (the halo).’
There has been agreement among F1’s teams to introduce some sort of halo for the 2017 season. The exact concept is yet to be finalised, though it is unlikely Hamilton will get his wish to choose whether to have it fitted to his Mercedes given the exact restrictions on the weights and specifications of cars.
Vettel’ s team-mate Ki mi Raikkonen first tried out the Ferrari-produced prototype on Thursday and both thought visibility was OK, despite one strut of the halo being in the middle of the car. ‘You can see what you need to see,’ said Vettel. ‘We can improve the system in terms of aesthetics and how much is visibly in your way. I tested it in the simulator as well and I think we will see evolutions of it very soon.’
The halo design has a hinged lock mechanism so that it can be removed easily. Ferrari’s version follows a study by Mercedes. Videos of early testing showed three possible designs: a windshield, a titanium roll hoop and a full jet fighter-style canopy.
Calls for head protection have intensified since Felipe Massa was hit by a spring dislodged from another car in 2009, causing an injury so serious that it nearly killed him.