The Halo device tested by Ferrari in Barcelona is the only practical head protection concept which can be implemented in time for 2017, says Renault chief technical officer Bob Bell.
On Thursday Kimi Raikkonen completed an installation lap in a Ferrari-built Halo concept fitted to the car in order to test visibility. Halo is one of two concepts being considered by the FIA for implementation next year, with a final decision being made at the end of April.
Though the carbon fibre structure attached to the SF16-H was wider than the one which would likely be adopted it followed the basic design principal. Bell thinks Halo is the only logical concept which can be added to the 2017 cars in the short timeframe available.
"I think it's a pragmatic step if we want to put something on the car for 2017," Bell told ESPN. "I don't think there's anything else out there that's practical in that time frame. Longer term I think the canopy solution, or half-canopy solution, is probably a better one. But we need more research."
The regulations are set to change in 2017, hoping to achieve faster cars -- in the region of three seconds per lap -- thanks to wider wings, a wider track and larger diffuser. There are already concerns over the additional weight of next year's cars but Bell does not think the addition of cockpit protection will have a negative impact on performance.
"I imagine the weight limit will be adjusted to take account of the Halo system so it doesn't disadvantage the teams from a performance perspective. We, the teams, are working with the FIA to find ways of taking weight out of the car cost-effectively. It would be silly to put the Halo system on and then pay the weight penalty so I'm sure the weight limit will have to go up in some way for that.
"But nobody is in disagreement, the Halo is the right thing -- or a driver head protection system, whether it's Halo or anything else, we'll make it work and find a way of making it work and we'll find a way of clawing the performance back."
Over a longer term Bell thinks a jet fighter plane-style canopy over the driver is "the way to go" as it rules out any chance of smaller items of debris hitting the driver. However, there are questions surrounding visibility of a canopy, such as the close-range image distortion reported by jet pilots.
"I'm sure all these [visibility] problems can be addressed. Military aircraft use canopies very successfully. Maybe they don't have quite the critical dependence on close-range visibility, and we're also not sure what the consequences might be in wet weather and all of those things.
"That all needs to be investigated but I'm sure it is doable and it probably is the best solution because the main advantage of a canopy system is it prevents the ingress of even small components. The [Felipe] Massa incident [in Hungary, 2009] demonstrates it doesn't have to be a wheel that hits the car, it can be something a lot smaller and be very serious. I think ultimately that's the way to go."