Red Bull could test canopy solution at Russian GP

The Milton Keynes-based team is pushing on with its own version of the cockpit protection system after feeling that the one being developed by Ferrari and Mercedes is not the right solution.

It had always hoped to get it running this month, and team boss Christian Horner confirmed on Saturday that its plans would ramp up over the next few days.

"We're going to test the canopy solution over the next week - static testing, so we're going to fire a wheel at in on a plinth to see how that withstands it," he told Sky television.

"Then if that goes okay, we may put it on one car very briefly in Sochi. We will see how the testing goes over the next week or so.

"I think the canopy offers a bit more protection because it does have a windscreen. It's a more elegant solution.

"We believe there's better visibility and it's a more elegant solution to the brief, rather than the boomerang thing that is the halo."

The FIA is adamant that a cockpit head protection device will be introduced in F1 for next year, and at the moment believes the Mercedes/Ferrari version is the best way forward.

However, it has not ruled out experimenting with the Red Bull idea if it proves to be as effective in safety terms during testing.