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The 2018 Formula 1 car launches later this month are likely to further stoke the backlash against the halo.
The FIA’s decision to make the cockpit protection system mandatory from this year led to an outcry promptly largely by the device’s unappealing aesthetics.
But the governing body has been adamant the safety benefits over-ride that consideration.
As Giorgio Piola’s exclusive animation shows, the halo has been designed to withstand the kind of extreme forces from debris that could seriously injure or kill a driver if their head was struck.
The halo has to withstand a force from the front of 83kN, and a lateral load of 93kN – which are more than car roll hoops have had to withstand in recent years.
The aim is that the halo can fend off a strike by a 20kg object – such as a wheel – hitting at around 225km/h (140mph).