Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button believe that the fate of the Halo should not be decided by Formula 1 teams.F1’s Strategy Group is due to debate the introduction of the Halo when it meets in Geneva on Thursday, with it possible that a vote could be taken on bringing it in.Due to the time frame involved, any move to introduce the Halo for 2017 would need unanimous support at the F1 Commission, with Red Bull having already made clear it is not happy with the concept.
But following a detailed presentation to drivers by the FIA about the safety benefits of the Halo at the Hungaroring last weekend, Grand Prix Drivers’ Association chairmen Vettel and Button think the decision should be wholly down to motor racing’s governing body.
Button said: “I think the decision has to be taken on safety grounds. It is not for us to decide if we have it or not, it should be decided by the sport as a whole.
“If the FIA think it is a safety issue to not have it, we should have it on the car. And if they don’t think it is an issue us not having it, then we shouldn’t have it.
“It shouldn’t even be a question for teams I personally don’t think – it is a safety issue. That is the way I think it should be.”
When Vettel was asked if he would be unhappy if teams voted against it because of its looks, he said: “It is not made for looks is it?
“I think the presentation was pretty clear. The outcome was positive in all the scenarios that the FIA went through, so I think now it is up to the FIA to push it through.
“You can debate about the advantages or disadvantages of the Strategy Group but overall, I think we need to trust the results of the FIA and their findings.
“On balance it always looks positive, so as I said it is more up to the FIA I guess.”
Story and photo: motorsport.com