Formula One: Halo in danger of distorting F1, says Alain Prost

Formula One Cars will feature the new halo head protection system for the first time in 2018 but it has been met by a mixed response, with Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff critical about it and those sentiments have been echoed by Alain Prost - a four-time world champion.

Formula One (F1) legend Alain Prost believes eliminating risk from the sport is a “dangerous” strategy that could “distort” the competition.

McLaren F1 team's Stoffel Vandoorne at the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday during the fourth day of the Formula One pre-season tests. The halo contraption is clearly visible in the shot, meant to protect the drivers from debris and other hazards during a crash. (AFP)

Cars will feature the new halo head protection system for the first time in 2018 but the contraption has been met by a mixed response, with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff joking that he would remove it with a chainsaw given the chance.

Those sentiments have been echoed by Prost - a four-time world champion and special adviser to the Renault F1 team.

“I don’t like it at all,” he told Omnisport. “For a lot of reasons. For aesthetics, it changes the nature of the single-seater car.

“But if it brings a little more security, that’s fine. Now that it’s here, we have to deal with it. But it’s not something I appreciate.

“We can always improve things. But we must not distort what Formula One is.

“I think it’s a little dangerous to want the risk at zero when we’re in motorsport.

“[But] when we talk about a man’s life, we cannot be against security.

“We have to accept it. It’s been set up. Maybe there will be other ideas in the future that will be more aesthetic than those.”