Halo introduction 'a big challenge' - Force India

Force India chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer has confessed that the introduction of the halo device to the new Formula One vehicles has been 'a big challenge' mostly due to the increase in weight on the chassis, but revealed that his team are dealing with the issue.

The governing body of Formula One, the FIA, has ordered the implementation of the halo device from the 2018 season onwards. It is a safety measure coming in the form of a frame which will surround the head of the driver to protect them from any potential falling debris after on-track crashes or collisions

Szafnauer has claimed that trying to fit the device on the new Force India chassis has been difficult due to weight restrictions, but that the vehicle has passed all regulatory tests so far.

"The biggest thing over the winter for us was trying to incorporate the Halo into the car design because it was introduced so late," the Force India COO told RACER.

"Which for a team of our size makes it even more difficult to redesign and not start afresh but make massive changes to the design that we'd gotten on with already to incorporate the Halo.

"We did [find it a big challenge]. It weighs quite a bit so we had a big challenge in keeping the weight down but also making the Halo robust enough to take all the prescribed loads, which are not insignificant.

"We've completed them all [the crash tests]. We're right on schedule actually and the nice thing is we passed the first time. So had we not then that could have been troublesome."

The halo has polarised figures in the sport and fans alike, as many have lamented the fact drivers will have decreased vision, while many complaints have pointed to its aesthetically displeasing look.