The FIA announced that the highly controversial halo cockpit protection will be introduced in 2018, despite nine of the ten Formula 1 teams voting against it for introduction in 2017 – now apparently they have all agreed. The late decision (teams would ideally have known about this early this year) will provide constructors with significant aerodynamic and structural challenges in the design process for the 2018 cars. Putting aside the visual reservations for a moment, the halo will most likely result in cars that are slower next year than this. Firstly, the bulky structure will increase drag, reducing straightline speed for a given power unit and wing level. More importantly, the...
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