Ferrari plans Austria tests for Halo 2

The Maranello-based team was the first to run the original Halo at pre-season testing at Barcelona, and it has spent time since then further refining the design.

The updated and smaller version, which is understood to be made of titanium, has already been nicknamed 'Halo 2' and is the version most likely to be adopted for next year.

Ferrari has confirmed that the Halo 2 will be fitted to one of its cars on Friday, although at the moment the programme is simply to do some static tests with it in the pit lane.

It is likely that Ferrari will be running through evaluation of the design with FIA officials who have been working hard on proofing the Halo design following recent crash tests.

There is a chance that Ferrari could choose to run the new Halo design on track too, but this has not yet been decided.

The latest Halo tests come ahead of meetings over the next week to finalise cockpit head protection devices for 2017.

The FIA has promised teams that it will decide by early July about whether or not the Halo will be mandatory next year - with the matter likely to dominate a Technical Regulations Rules meeting next week.

The future of the Halo alternative, the Aeroscreen, is in doubt after Red Bull revealed it had suspended development of it because it did not want to keep throwing resource at it at a time when development work for the 2017 car is already quite intense.

Here's our Austrian GP preview: