Alonso keeps open mind about 'Shield'

Jul.15 - Fernando Alonso says he retains an open mind about 'Shield', after the cockpit protection concept made its track debut at Silverstone.

However, the transparent windscreen innovation didn't last long aboard Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari.

"We had a run planned but I didn't like it so we took it off," he said.

"I got a bit dizzy. It's probably because of the curvature - you get quite a bit of distortion - plus you get quite a bit of downwash pushing the helmet forwards."

Vettel also said dismounting from the car was difficult.

Curiously, the 'Shield' also appears to lack the support of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, whose new director Romain Grosjean is a vocal critic.

"Of course we want to improve security, but it is not up to us to find a solution," said the Frenchman.

If 'Shield' is ultimately rejected, the FIA has warned that it will revert to the controversial 'Halo' concept for 2018.

But Alonso is not writing off the Shield yet.

"We'll have a driver meeting now, talk about it and what the opinion of it is and whether it can be improved," said the Spaniard.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

Related topics