Halo development to focus on aero over aesthetics

Development of the Halo cockpit protection device by teams will focus on limiting the aerodynamic impact rather than on aesthetics.

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Asked if there are any performance benefits that can come from the Halo, Chester replied: "No, not really.

"I think Halo, for starters, it's good to have something there that's going to give the driver more protection and everyone's behind that and wants to put it on the car for that reason.

"But in terms of aero, if anything it's a detriment and, if anything, you have to work around it being fitted to the car. So, I don't think they'll be any huge tricks with it. I think everyone will just want to put it on the car and make it the best they can for the drivers."

Red Bull's chief engineer Paul Monaghan agrees with Chester's view, and says the focus of having extra fairings – which have yet to be formally defined – will primarily revolve around the aerodynamic impact rather than how the Halo looks visually.

"The fairings were, I believe, agreed around about July 2016, or the extent of them," Monaghan said. "We will make use of the fairings, as Nick alluded to, to reduce the aerodynamic detriment of the Halo and I think, beyond that, the aesthetics of it.

"Yes, if we can have a fairing which reduces some of the aerodynamic detriment and makes it – to the eye of the beholder, shall we say, slightly more aesthetic, we'll take that solution but I think the aesthetics of it, it's not put on there for that reason, is it? It's put on there as a safety device.

"We'll put the fairings on it, we'll do the work that Nick's talking about, to reduce the detriment and that will be on for 2018."