John Surtees wants Lewis Hamilton to change his stance on the new ‘halo’ head protection device after the World Champion described the design as ‘ugly’ and ‘too drastic’.
Henry Surtees, John’s son, was killed after being struck by a tyre during a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch back in 2009.
The 1964 World Champion believes Hamilton should think more about his stance on the matter: “Lewis could perhaps think a little more about the ‘halo’ and think about the responsibility he does have as a world champion,” he said.
“I suffered the tragedy of losing Henry which certainly could’ve been prevented by a development like this.
“Change comes about and sometimes changes are forced upon one. It may be that the governing body, just because of the momentum and the fact that they have gone this way, will have no option but to impose these regulations.”
Sebastian Vettel also believed that Henry would still be alive if a device like this was in place.
“Sebastian hit the nail very clearly on the head with what he said. Henry was hit by a wheel that weighed 28kg so there would have been a chance there,” Surtees said.
Most drivers, including Lewis’ teammate Nico Rosberg, are all for the halo design, with the German driver claiming it’s a “massive step in safety.”
However, Jules’s father, Philippe Bianchi, believes that although it’s a step in the right direction, more still needs to be done.
“In the case of small debris, as Felipe Massa and Justin Wilson [the Indycar driver who was killed last August] had, that wouldn’t have changed anything. So this is a step forward, but it does not solve everything.” He told French television channel Canal Plus.
Some form of head protection is set to be introduced to F1 in the near future, with the sport’s governing bodies pushing for either the ‘halo’ or another device to be introduced for 2017.
