Halo Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Haas F1 Team reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi is set to make his Formula One debut at the Sakhir Grand Prix, filling in the for Romain Grosjean, who is recovering from burns sustained at the Bahrain Grand Prix. As a result of Monday’s announcement, Fittipaldi – grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi – will become the first third-generation driver to compete at a grand prix event. The 24-year-old Miami-born Brazilian has a unique racing background, which includes winning the 2017 Formula V8 3.5 championship, whereRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Fourteen rounds done, seven to go, and since my first installment, there’s been so many changes across all 10 Formula 1 constructors and its 20 drivers. A few would-be contenders have gone by the wayside like Fernando Alonso and Red Bull, and others have flourished after a quiet or abysmal opening leg such as Kimi Raikkonen and Haas F1. We even saw a hot mess behind closed doors, resulting a new constructor and have so far been tremendous. In my latest installment of “Heptagon Viewpoints,”Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Let’s face it, we all have mixed opinions about the Halo in Formula 1. Some understand it’s for the sake of safety, and the drivers wanted something to be done for head protection after notable incidents that’s ended seasons, and even a driver’s life. Others utterly despise the new look, and wish there was a different approach of protecting a driver, like the canopy NHRA Top Fuel drivers use. After opening day of free practice for the Rolex Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne, I sawRead More

By FIA It’s strong enough to support the weight of two African elephants and sturdy enough to deflect a large, full suitcase at a speed of 225kph. So how is motor sport’s new Halo device made to withstand such forces? It all starts with titanium. Lots of titanium. “We had to buy about 10 tonnes of high-strength titanium within one-and-a-half months, and receive it all in time and in perfect quality,” says Steffen Zacharias of Germany’s CP Autosport, one of the three manufacturers chosen by the FIA as official suppliersRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Aston Martin Red Bull Racing pilot Max Verstappen is coming off an eventful 2017 Formula 1 season, which featured peaks of two wins and valleys of several retirements. With a new season comes new hope and the 20-year-old Dutchman is looking for more success entering his fourth year. Our friends from Mobil 1 The Grid have featured Verstappen previewing the upcoming season. Video Credit: Mobil 1 The GridRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor IndyCar officials are close to producing an aeroscreen for the new 2018 IR12 bodywork with the goal of testing the device this fall. The screen will be similar to the aeroscreen concept Red Bull pushed for in Formula One and the shield concept that Sebastian Vettel tested during practice for the British Grand Prix. Speaking to Racer, Tino Belli IndyCar’s Director of Aerodynamics said that a prototype is due to be produced soon, after extensive CFD work and testing with Dallara’s simulator. “First and foremost, thereRead More

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg set the fastest time of opening practice for the Belgian Grand Prix with the German also becoming the first driver to set a timed lap in a session using the Halo device, which underwent more testing. As the session got underway at Spa-Francorchamps, four cars took to the circuit sporting the cockpit head protection device – Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz, Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo, Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Rosberg. All except Rosberg used the device for a single installation lap, but as times began toRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The FIA is on the cusp of greenlighting the halo for F1 in 2017. The news comes on the heels of a meeting of the technical regulations working group which is in favor of Ferrari’s halo solution over Red Bull’s competing aeroscreen due to time constraints on the teams and the ease with which the halo can be added to the already well in progress 2017 designs. It is highly likely that the halo will be a stop-gap while an aeroscreen or canopy solution is workedRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor After a series of fraught meetings in Geneva for the Strategy Group and the F1 Commission, officials have announced that the teams have reached an agreement on some of the changes for 2017, while a full consensus has been delayed to a new April 30th deadline in order for the finer details of the plan to be ironed out. After basic decisions about the future of the sport regarding an engine cost cap for 2018, and a baffling odd change to the qualifying system, F1 bosses haveRead More