FIA says Aeroscreen not scrapped yet

Daniel Ricciardo sits in his Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB12 fitted with the aeroscreen during previews ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix of Russia at Sochi Autodrom on April 28, 2016
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Ferrari will try again to debut the updated Halo 2 cockpit protection this weekend ahead of the British Grand Prix.

Ferrari will try again to debut the updated Halo 2 cockpit protection this weekend ahead of the British Grand Prix.

The Maranello team intended to run the revised, titanium technology with a modified cockpit position over an installation lap in Friday practice in Austria, but Sebastian Vettel's car developed a technical problem and the Halo run was aborted.

It is now believed that Halo 2 will make its appearance this Friday at Silverstone.

It comes after the FIA shelved for now the rival, Red Bull-devised Aeroscreen concept, with Red Bull saying they do not have the time or resources at the moment to do necessary developments.

That was bad news for some people, who believe that the open-topped, windshield-like device is more aesthetically appealing than Halo.

"This is about safety, not beauty," Australian Daniel Ricciardo is quoted as saying by Speed Week, "but I have always said that the windshield solution looks better than Halo.

"I think it would be a real shame if that project was stopped."

The FIA's safety chief Laurent Mekies, however, said that Aeroscreen has simply been put on the back burner.

"Development of the Aeroscreen is frozen only for 2017," he reportedly said.

"We had a deadline and would have struggled to get two different concepts ready in time. But when we have finished the Halo, I am sure that we will then look at Aeroscreen very closely again."

The British Grand Prix gets underway at 1pm on Sunday.

Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso during previews to the Formula One Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit on April 14, 2016
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