FIA confirm only one concept will be taken forward
Thursday 19 May 2016 11:42, UK
FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting expects a decision over whether to use Red Bull's aeroscreen or the halo device tested by Ferrari by July 1.
Ferrari tested the halo concept during pre-season testing in Barcelona, before Red Bull debuted their alternative during Practice One in Russia.
Whiting told reporters in Sochi that it "would be unreasonable" to leave a decision any later than July 1 because teams needed to incorporate the new device into their 2017 designs.
"There are different load cases for each design because the halo has a central mounting and the aeroscreen has two on the sides with nothing in the middle," Whiting said.
A potential drawback of the aeroscreen is the fact that it has a screen which could cause a glare under floodlights or low sunlight, or impair visibility if covered with rain or oil.
Red Bull are set to carry out further tests to find a solution to both situations and the concept could be run again during practice in Spain and Monaco.
"It's quite difficult where you have tall buildings, trees, low sun, those sorts of effects, that you will probably get in Monaco and Monza, where there are natural features," Whiting said of the screen.
But Whiting confirmed only one of the two concepts would be taken forward into 2017, with a sole supplier likely to supply to all teams.
However, before a decision is taken the FIA are keen to carry out tests on how much headroom a driver needs to prevent the helmet hitting either device in an accident.
"What we are doing is some sledwork with a dummy to try to simulate more precisely just how much room you need in order to make sure that the driver's head doesn't make contact with it -- as they are both substantial structures," Whiting added.
"That is the next phase of work, which I am told should be completed within two weeks."
