Lauda says F1 cockpit protection must happen

While he is no fan of covering the cockpits, Mercedes chief and triple world champion Niki Lauda accepts it is now inevitable that either the 'halo' or 'aeroscreen' concepts are on their way into Formula 1.

"We can no longer explain this issue away," said Lauda. "It is true that the DNA of formula one is being disturbed, but we have seen accidents that would probably have been less serious if we had this protection.

"Now we need to find the best solution. I don't like the halo, so the solution proposed by Red Bull looks like it is better," he added.