Formula 1 drivers are calling for a "new safety device to be installed in their cockpits" from '17, hoping the so-called halo will "prevent serious injury from flying debris," according to REUTERS. Grand Prix Drivers’ Association Chair Alexander Wurz said that his members wanted "swift implementation" of the design initially suggested by Mercedes -- a bar attached to the car that curves around the driver’s head and is supported in front by an upright strut. F1 has been testing various ways of improving head protection, "comparing halo with closed canopies, an option that some people fear could trap the driver in the event of a crash." Wurz: "The research the FIA experts have done is very thorough and the process has brought forward a clear solution. Now the drivers feel it’s time to implement the extra protection at the latest in 2017." Improving head protection became a priority after the deaths last year of Justin Wilson, a former F1 racer who suffered head injuries from debris in an IndyCar crash, and Jules Bianchi (REUTERS, 1/25). The BBC's Andrew Benson reported the idea "will be discussed at a meeting of F1's technical leaders on Friday," when the FIA hopes to make progress on deciding "a raft of rule changes aimed at making the cars faster and more dramatic" for '17. Wurz said, "Obviously structural changes are required to the chassis but, with almost a one-year lead time, I don't see any technical person speaking against such substantial safety improvements, especially given the last big accidents in open-wheel racing involved head injuries. So all the drivers, and I, hope that passing the additional head protection will be a formality." Pirelli's tires "have been controversial" since the company entered F1 in '11 with a remit to provide rubber that was fragile and promoted pit stops. Wurz is speaking out on behalf of the drivers in an attempt to persuade F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone to change the sport's philosophy away from tires that need managing, "so drivers can once again push flat-out throughout a race." Wurz said the GPDA had reached a unanimous agreement on "what the drivers wanted from tyres." He added that drivers wanted a tire that "allows them to push and extract everything possible from these extraordinary race cars again, because that's what F1 is about, the pinnacle of motor racing which we all love" (BBC, 1/25).
