Lauda: New fan appeal 'destroyed' by Halo

Niki Lauda believes attempts to bring new fans into Formula 1 have been "destroyed" by the FIA's decision to introduce the Halo in 2018.

The FIA has been keen to improve cockpit protection and has been working on a number of different solutions over the past few years. The Halo was originally scheduled for introduction in 2017, but a meeting of the Strategy Group last July saw that date pushed back by a year while further testing took place and other avenues were explored.

The Shield family of devices were then highlighted by the FIA as its preferred direction earlier this season, but negative feedback from Sebastian Vettel following its first public test during FP1 for the British Grand Prix resulted in the Halo getting the nod at this week's Strategy Group meeting in Geneva.

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Mercedes non-executive chairman Lauda believes the attempts to make cars faster and more aggressive looking this season will no longer prove attractive to new fans when the Halo is added next year.

"We tested the Halo, the Red Bull Aeroscreen and Ferrari's Shield as a cockpit protection device, but none have convinced 100 percent," Lauda told German publication Auto Motor und Sport. "You have to make the right decision in such a situation. The Halo is the wrong one.

"The FIA has made Formula 1 as safe as it gets. Also the danger of flying wheels is largely eliminated, because the wheels are always more firmly attached. The risk to the drivers has become minimal.

"We are just trying hard to get new fans for the sport with fast cars and getting closer to the spectators, and now this is destroyed by an overreaction."

It is understood the majority of teams in the Strategy Group meeting voted against the introduction of Halo next season but the FIA forced through the device on safety grounds.