F1 2017: Sebastian Vettel Tests New 'Shield' System At Silverstone

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel has become the first driver to test the FIA's latest cockpit protection concept - 'Shield' - during the opening practice session for this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The new frontal head protection device had been in contention for a while now and favoured over the the 'Halo' device concept proposed last year. The Shield concept is one of the FIA's latest attempts to bring better protection to the sport, following a spate of incidents and faster cars.

The new Shield concept is a transparent open canopy system constructed using polycarbonate, and is aimed at providing significant protection from debris while ensuring unrestricted forward vision for the driver.

The Shield concept has been favoured over the Halo device in contention last year

The Shield was fitted on to Vettel SF70-H and the Ferrari driver was the first on track to test the unit. Teammate Kimi Raikkonen followed next on the track, but did not fit the device on his car to allow a direct comparison.

The FIA announced in April this year that it was prioritising testing of the Shield over the Halo concept, which wrapped around the cockpit in three struts. There a lot of mixed reviews for the Halo concept with one section of teams and drivers in favour of it, while the others thought it was less effective and intrusive as well.