By alley - Mar 17, 2016, 2:01 AM ET

F1: Ricciardo 'has to respect' Hulkenberg view

Nico Hulkenberg feels Daniel Ricciardo "has to respect" his views on Formula 1 cockpit safety following a disagreement between the two during pre-season testing.

After Hulkenberg criticised the halo design when it was tested by Ferrari at Barcelona, Ricciardo said "there's no need to be a hero about this situation", adding "I don't know why he's puffing his chest out".

Asked about Ricciardo's comments ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Hulkenberg said there should be no problem with a difference of opinion among drivers.

"I read it and it made me smile," said Hulkenberg. "He has his opinion, I have mine. He has to respect mine. Different people, different opinions. It's quite normal.

"At the end of the day it won't come down to either of us what happens. My opinion hasn't changed since back then. We'll see where it ends up."

Felipe Massa, who suffered a head injury when he was hit by a loose spring in Hungarian GP qualifying in 2009, is a strong supporter of introducing more cockpit safety.

"If we can save a life, or make an accident not hurt the drivers, I am in favour," said the Williams driver. "I don't think we need to race in Formula 1 to risk your life just for the people.

"I don't want to be like the king, saying 'I don't need that, I want to race even without the helmet'. I'm not like that, I just want to make things better for the drivers."

Massa questioned a design released with a protective screen supported by two pillars at the side of the cockpit, as he feels that solution could impair drivers' vision more than the halo.

"I don't like that, it looks like a buggy," he said. "People are complaining, saying the halo is not nice, but the image I saw with two things [each side] would be even worse. If it's better for safety I agree we need to use it, but we need to understand things that are affecting the visibility of the driver as well."