As the first Halo-era Formula 1 cars begin to be launched, Max Verstappen admits he is still “not looking forward” to racing with the cockpit protection device.
The Dutchman, whose Red Bull RB14 will be revealed on Monday, has remained firmly in the camp against its introduction but will have no choice after the FIA forced it through on safety grounds for 2018 last summer.
Though many expect the controversy it has created to die down as fans and drivers alike adjust to the new visual, the 20-year-old hopes the Halo doesn’t ruin the overall look.
“The Halo will be very ugly, I’m not looking forward to that,” he said in a pre-season interview produced by Red Bull. “But in general I hope the car will look great and hopefully is fast.”
Despite being one of the youngest drivers on the grid, Verstappen also has the issue of also being one of the biggest which brings its own complications due to the weight of the Halo.
“It’s definitely not favourable for me,” he stated. “But I’m not going to adjust my training for it because otherwise, I won’t feel well during the races.
“Especially for me being a taller driver and I guess also a bit of a heavier driver than most, it’s not ideal.”
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The enormous loads the FIA have put in place for the Halo to withstand have amazed some with Mercedes claiming a London double-decker bus could sit on top but the governing body is now looking at curing the weaknesses with the next version of the device.
“We have two main objectives,” safety delegate Laurent Mekies told Racer.”One is the central strut, to see if we can have a reduction in thickness for visibility purposes and secondly a better integration in the car, i.e. better aesthetics ultimately.
“So that’s what we would like to see in stage two.”