Shield image released, will test at Silverstone

The FIA has released an image of the Shield cockpit protection device it is hoping to introduce on 2018 Formula 1 cars, with a first track test to take place next week at Silverstone.

Following a meeting of the Strategy Group ahead of the Russian Grand Prix in April, the FIA announced the Shield is now the preferred solution for cockpit protection, having previously been developing the Halo. The image shows how the screen is likely to look and the FIA confirmed Ferrari will carry out a short test during FP1 at Silverstone next week before a full test at the Italian Grand Prix start of September.

Explaining how development will progress, FIA safety delegate Charlie Whiting says the main challenge is to get a prototype tested in order to receive driver feedback.

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"We've got a bit of an ad-hoc working group comprising five teams. We did it with the Halo, and it was structural engineers from five teams. They met with our engineers regularly to develop the Halo. We're gathering those guys together this week for the first round of discussions to see how it can be best integrated into a 2018 car. So that's the first step.

"In parallel with that we've got a CAD drawing of the Shield and we now want to try and get one made. We know who we're going to get to make them but it's just a matter of getting the tooling done quickly in order to get a pre-production unit in order to try and pop it on a car in a sort of quick and dirty way. Much in the same way as we did with the Halo but just to see if we can get a sort of preliminary idea of what a driver feels.

"It may not be particularly as good as the production model would be but it would give us a good idea I think of what a driver might say about it."

While all the drivers on the grid had the chance to test the Halo last year, Whiting says there will not be time to do the same with the Shield.

"I think we're talking here really about if one driver says he can see through it OK, then I can't see why every driver shouldn't be able to, to be quite honest. There will be issues of probably misting perhaps in some cases. Reflection is actually quite a tricky thing to overcome."