Safety: Red Bull to test its canopy in Russia
In response to the halo tested by Ferrari over the winter, Red Bull is to offer a canopy designed to protect drivers' heads in the event of impact. The system will be fitted to one of the two single-seaters during FP1 at the Russian Grand Prix this weekend.
In recent weeks, the Red Bull team has developed its own solution to improve safety around drivers’ helmets, an area still very vulnerable during a violent crash, as the unfortunate accident of Jules Bianchi demonstrated at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
Called “Canopée”, this system aims to quickly make people forget the halo solution presented by Ferrari during the winter tests on the Barcelona track.
This canopy will be fitted on one of the two Red Bull single-seaters during an installation lap in the first free practice session of the Russian Grand Prix scheduled for this Friday morning. Once the test is completed, there will still be a lot of work for the Austrian team’s technical teams before potentially proposing a definitive version that could, according to some rumors, come into effect as early as 2017 if the FIA and other teams reach an agreement.
After the negative reaction from the public and Formula 1 actors regarding the halo presented by Ferrari, Red Bull hopes to appeal with this aesthetically more refined canopy.
