Vettel will be first F1 driver to trial Shield
Sebastian Vettel will be the first Formula 1 driver to trial the ’shield’ cockpit protection device when he runs it in Friday practice for the British Grand Prix.
It is anticipated the Ferrari driver will run the device for a handful of laps early in the session before removing it and focusing on preparation work for the weekend.
“I will run it tomorrow, we’ll see for how long,” Vettel told reporters at Silverstone.
“I have seen it on the computer, [but] I haven’t seen it in real life, I’ll check it out later on. Then obviously it depends on how it feels tomorrow.”
The FIA has been working on plans for the alternative to the Halo cockpit protection device for several months, with Monza initially pencilled in for the first proper test.
But progress with the Shield advanced quicker than anticipated, opening the way for a short track test to be scheduled for Friday at Silverstone with Ferrari.
The Shield is a see-through screen that extends along the nose in front of the drivers and has been pushed as more visually appealing compared to the Halo.
The clear screen is being developed by Italian company Isoclima, which makes products for a number of other high-profile racing series.
The FIA hopes that the Shield can be readied in time for 2018, but if not, the Halo will be introduced instead.
Earlier this week, Red Bull boss Christian Horner warned F1 chiefs not to rush it through without all the "due diligence being done properly", as he argued a 2019 introduction would make more sense.
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