I do agree that something must be done regarding the drivers’ head protection, yet I cannot become friends with a halo on a formula 1 car. However, coming from another profession and therefore having no skills at all in CFD or similar I just painted a solution in good old MS paint this evening that I had on my mind for some time now. Maybe it is just utter nonsense as I am not an engineer, but anyways: Why not extend the airbox to a point that is vertically just shortly ahead of the driver’s helmet and let it act as some kind of deflector for bigger debris such as tires?
As the halo concept’s idea is to deflect only bigger debis such as tires and maybe medium-sized parts of the bodywork, this solution should be sufficient insofar as that it still matches the aesthetics of an open wheeler with an open cockpit and additionally doesn’t hinder the driver’s view. If done right the area ahead of the driver’s head should be a little smaller than the surface of a tire and therefore in case of a frontal accident a tire should hit the airbox first and already lose a ton of energy before hitting anything else. Maybe the cockpit sides should in that case be extended to that given line to furthermore help the driver’s safety.
Due to its increased length the airbox should furthermore be supported by mandatory braces/pylons with a given area that should protect the driver in cases of side impacts. If designed correctly drivers should – although a more tricky admittedly – still be able to exit their cockpits in less than 5 seconds.
Just a thought with some draws. Nonsense or worth thinking about? Feel free to take those pictures in case you want to add anything.
Version a:
Version b:
Original Williams FW38:
