Philippe Bianchi calls on FIA to "go further" than 'Halo' - MotorSportsTalk

Philippe Bianchi has called on the FIA to “go further” than the ‘Halo’ prototype in its bid to improve driver safety in Formula 1 and prevent serious head injuries.

Philippe’s son Jules Bianchi died last year from serious head injuries sustained in an accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix nine months earlier, where he collided with a recovery vehicle after going off track in wet conditions.

Bianchi’s death was followed by that of IndyCar driver Justin Wilson, who was killed after being hit by debris during the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway on August 23.

In response to these deaths, the FIA has stepped up its bid to improve driver safety in F1 by inviting teams to submit possible designs to increase cockpit protection.

The Mercedes-designed ‘Halo’ prototype made its public debut in Barcelona on Thursday, and was greeted with a mixed response after being tested on Ferrari’s SF16-H car.

Speaking to French TV station Canal +, Bianchi Sr. said that although ‘Halo’ was a definite step in the right direction, more needs to be done as he doubts it would have saved either his son or Wilson.

“I consider that this is a step forward in term of security. It is obvious that in the case of when a wheel comes off, this system would be effective,” Bianchi said.

“However, in the case of small debris, as Felipe Massa and Justin Wilson had, that wouldn’t have changed anything. So this is a step forward, but it does not solve everything.

“For Jules, it would not have changed nothing, because it’s the extremely violent deceleration that caused the damage that we know to his brain.

“I think developments of the HANS system to better absorb big deceleration in a severe impact could help in this case.

“The FIA wished to act after Jules’s and Justin’s accidents, but it must go further.”

Follow @LukeSmithF1

The NTT IndyCar Series will head to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for its first oval race of the season and a preview of its biggest race.

After Sunday’s PPG 375 at Texas, the next oval on the schedule is May 28 with the 107th running of the Indy 500. Chip Ganassi Racing dominated last year’s 500-miler at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after placing all four of its Dallara-Hondas in the top 10 at Texas.

The Dallara-Chevrolets of Team Penske also will be heavy favorites at Texas. Josef Newgarden passed teammate Scott McLaughlin on the final lap for the victory last year as Penske took three of the top four (with defending series champion Will Power in fourth).

Texas marks the first of five oval races for IndyCar, which also will visit Iowa Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. There are 28 drivers entered for the 36th IndyCar race at Texas, the series’ most at the track since 30 in June 2011.

Scott Dixon has a series-high five victories at Texas, mostly recently in May 2021. Helio Castroneves (four wins), Newgarden (two) and Power (two) also are multiple winners at Texas.

Here are the details and IndyCar start times for the PPG 375 race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway (all times are ET):

INDYCAR PPG 375 TEXAS START TIMES

TV: Sunday, noon ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe (whose first career IndyCar victory came at St. Petersburg 10 years ago).

Marty Snider and Dave Burns are the pit reporters. Telemundo Deportes on Universo will provide a Spanish-language telecast. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.

Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying and Indy NXT races. (Click here for information on how to sign up for Peacock.)

COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 12:10 p.m. ET

GREEN FLAG: 12:15 p.m. ET

POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after the race ends.

Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for practices and qualifying.

INDYCAR RADIO NETWORK: The IndyCar and Indy Lights races and all practices and qualifying sessions will air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the IndyCar app.

PRACTICE: Saturday sessions at 9 a.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. (Peacock Premium), 1:45 p.m.

PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II

QUALIFYING: Saturday, 12:15 p.m. (Peacock Premium)

STARTING LINEUP: Click here for the grid at Texas

RACE DISTANCE: The race is 250 laps (375 miles) on a 1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth, Texas

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Eleven primary sets to be used during practice, qualifying and the race. An extra set will be available to cars in the high-line practice session.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 67 degrees with a 71% chance of rain at the green flag.

ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 28 cars entered