Paddy Lowe says that whilst the Halo will have an effect on the aerodynamics, the weight the head protection system will add to the car is having a bigger effect on the design and development of the 2018 Formula 1 cars.
The Williams Martini Racing Chief Technical Officer says that although the overall weight limit of the car has been increased by six kilograms to accommodate the now-mandatory Halo, the significant weight increase has had an impact, and those teams who minimise this will have an advantage early on.
In comparison, Lowe believes the aerodynamic impact of the Halo will be negligible, and he feels the weight increase will have a bigger effect on the heavier drivers on the grid, and it would have been better to increase the weight limit by more than they did to negate this.
“The weight is probably the biggest thing which people aren’t talking about so much,” said Lowe on Crash. “It is very heavy not just as a component but also the structure you put in to take the loads. Performance-wise it’ll be the weight which will be more significant than the aerodynamic impact which is negligible.
“The weight limit was put up but not by the amount that it has impacted so I think that’s why it’ll be a challenge to all the teams.”
