[smr2018test]
Carlos Sainz Jnr revealed he couldn’t see it had started to rain during yesterday’s test because the Halo prevented the drops from landing on his visor.
“So you were not really seeing if it was raining or not. You were just feeling it in your hands, in your ass to see how the grip was.”
This is likely to be more of a problem in light rain conditions, as Sainz explained. “This kind of rain sometimes as drivers it really bothers us because you don’t know if you can actually push 100% or not.”
“You have to guess it with the pit wall and see how much rain there was because for us. Our visor was completely dry and outside it was raining. So a bit tricky there.”
However Sainz said visibility was “not an issue” on the whole with the Halo. “After two laps you don’t see it any more you just see through it.”
Sainz ended the day sixth-quickest overall while team mate Nico Hulkenberg set the fourth-fastest time.
F1 Fanatic is covering this week’s test at the Circuit de Catalunya live from the track. Follow our coverage here
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Seri (@seri)
27th February 2018, 12:01
Nice, an unexpected benefit of the halo!
Egonovi
27th February 2018, 12:39
;)
does this mean that we do not stop races anymore with the first drop of rain :p
grat
27th February 2018, 17:03
In heavier rain, it might be a help… but in light rain, the track can suddenly turn slippery without the driver realizing it’s starting to rain.
Joao (@johnmilk)
27th February 2018, 12:02
That is the sort of problem, the best drivers in the world shouldn’t worry about
PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
27th February 2018, 12:40
Agreed @johnmilk
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
27th February 2018, 15:45
But great drivers with less sensitive ass had a disadvantaged.
grat
27th February 2018, 17:04
So… You’re saying Verstappen will have a clear advantage, then? ;)
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
27th February 2018, 15:42
don’t mind them mentoning it though.
Joao (@johnmilk)
27th February 2018, 17:54
@davidnotcoulthard exactly, but bringing it up as a concern, as a problem is a bit annoying
Damon (@damon)
27th February 2018, 12:10
I had actually thought that there would be the opposite thing happening: halo creating a splash of water directed onto the helmet.
Velocityboy (@velocityboy)
27th February 2018, 14:22
That was my thought too. I guess it remains to be see how the halo will affect visibility when driving through another car’s spray.
SparkyAMG (@)
27th February 2018, 12:32
I’d love to see the CFD of a halo equipped car to see what causes this, and particularly whether air (fluids) are being diverted around the driver’s helmet more than before. If so, I wonder if any of them have felt dizzy like Vettel did when testing the aeroscreen.
Miguel Bento (@miguelbento)
27th February 2018, 12:58
Vettel felt dizzy due to the distortion caused by the screen.
SparkyAMG (@)
27th February 2018, 13:16
@miguelbento
And a change in the way air was hitting the helmet:
Robbie (@robbie)
27th February 2018, 14:09
@sparkyamg I just don’t think it was the air pushing SV’s head forward that was creating the distortion nor his dizzy experience. I’m quite sure it was that while the Ferrari aeroscreen wrapped around the cockpit, it was also curving down toward the top of his helmet, likely I believe so that they were still getting some air into the airbox above. So it had a complex curvature which created the distorted view and the dizziness, but I’m sure having his head pushed forward must have not helped, and must have also felt awkward.
There as been no time that I’m aware of that the words dizzy and halo have been put in the same sentence. If they had we wouldn’t be seeing them on the cars, or at least not in their current form.
BootLace
27th February 2018, 12:52
My first thought was that the red flag would let them know it was raining :)
PK
27th February 2018, 14:25
I’m sure that’s coming “for safety” LOL What kind of bloodthirsty monster would want to see the drivers risk their lives driving wet roads!!
Chaitanya
27th February 2018, 12:57
For taller drivers visibility is worse even without the rain. Just watch video of Hulk driving uploaded today on F1’s youtube channel.
Robbie (@robbie)
27th February 2018, 13:09
I think we can safely say that what a video shows is not translating to us in our armchairs exactly what the drivers are seeing. Has Hulk said that his height makes the halo an issue for him?
Rather, what we are hearing is that after a couple of laps the drivers don’t even notice the halo.
Robbie (@robbie)
27th February 2018, 13:04
Very interesting. When I saw the headline I sure thought oh here we go the anti-halo’ers will be calling for F1’s head even moreso.
I wonder if this will help a little with visibility while in another car’s mist (rooster tail) on a wet track.
Anyway surely the ‘problem’ of not having quite the same read on amounts of rain can be dealt with by the drivers adapting and by pit communications. Perhaps even by the strength of the rooster tail in front of them etc. They must have already been using some tricks to suss out exactly how hard to push in various wet conditions, especially in conditions of a drying track as it approaches slick tire conditions, and trying to figure out the best time to make the switch.
My Left Eye (@blik)
27th February 2018, 13:24
I have zero problem with the Halo from an aesthetic or safety point of view. I understand we have stereoscopic vision and how that works to make the front centre strut disappear and all that.
But…….. it’s going to be interesting in close traffic where drivers will be viewing some portions of some cars with one eye only which might make it difficult for drivers to judge closing and opening speeds. They will not instinctively know when they are visually limited. Possibly the greater areas in stereo view will compensate for the small areas of mono view.
I predict some drivers blaming “I don’t know what happened” braking for turn one and it will be the truth.
Robbie (@robbie)
27th February 2018, 14:00
Hmm, I get what you are saying but I think the mono, or seeing with one eye only concept would really only apply if they had one eye closed. I don’t think they will at all be visually limited. They’ll have stereo vision at all times and will always be seeing all the cars around them the same as they did without the halo. The centre pillar is simply not enough of an obstruction to be an issue, even subconsciously, imho. Of course I’m speculating from my armchair, but we just haven’t heard of any such concern from the drivers.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
27th February 2018, 13:28
So he’s saying halo is working? I’ts keeping stuff from falling on their heads. Who would have thunk it.
ADUB SMALLBLOCK (@waptraveler)
27th February 2018, 14:41
Which of the teams DOES NOT have the little aero wing on top of the halo? I THINK I see that Mercedes, Renault, Red Bull and Haas are without that. Am I right, are there more?
Danny
27th February 2018, 15:33
I think they should have been testing behind the safetycar today.
Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
27th February 2018, 16:19
Good, take the damn thing off.
Robbie (@robbie)
27th February 2018, 16:24
Something tells me you haven’t read past the headline.
Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
27th February 2018, 18:10
I certainly did. I’m looking for any and all reason to get this thing off the car.
Martin
27th February 2018, 18:57
Well that is a terrible, petty, attitude to have
joe jopling (@jop452)
27th February 2018, 19:43
There seems to be a lot of negatives regarding the Halo…..worse one looks like how long it takes to get out of the car, especially if it has rolled over…..but no one seems to take any notice….do we have to have a serious injury/fatality before they listen…..and yes I hate it as well
My Left Eye (@blik)
28th February 2018, 8:42
I think the ‘getting out of the car’ problem is due to a substandard athletic performance. I’ll bet with a bit of training a halo may even help exit as it’s a good zimmer frame for the less athletic. Power steering has spoiled some drivers.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th February 2018, 13:45
The drivers are very fit. I think it has to do with their position of the Halo and the angle. I’m more worried about the marshals because the angle is even harder for them and they don’t have the training that the drivers have.
Those 8 inches to clear the halo may seem like a small number but when you are lifting another adult, it could be the difference between being able to do it and being unable depending on your height. But the FIA has got it covered and released the time penalty that it will take.
My Left Eye (@blik)
2nd March 2018, 6:44
Agreed the FIA has it covered. I’m not questioning fitness of drivers, I’m questioning athletic performance. Some are better than others at getting out quickly and it is something that every driver can practice and get better at. In the first phase of getting out drivers legs are in a position where their legs aren’t much use until they get their feet under the torso. Arms are primarily used in the first phase and halo could help with some training. A decent gymnast would do it into a handstand position while a typical F1 driver was still squirming along on his but cheeks ;-)