Renault's revised halo mirrors revealed

The French car manufacturer has been evaluating a change of mirror design ever since the FIA announced several weeks ago that teams could mount them to the halo.

It fitted a 3D-printed version of its idea at the post-Spanish Grand Prix test to check on driver visibility, but its plans to take the design further were scuppered when the FIA clamped down on aerodynamic supports in the wake of Ferrari’s design.

This meant the original Renault version, which featured a support similar to the aerodynamic version that was outlawed by the FIA, had to be reconfigured.

Renault technical director Nick Chester said recently: “We had a rapid prototyped one running off the halo, but that wouldn't work with the TD [technical directive] so we're looking at a different way of doing a halo-mounted mirror.”

As Giorgio Piola’s exclusive photograph shows, Renault has revised its design with a more straightforward support.

It is unclear yet how soon the team is considering racing it, but the fact that it is taped to the halo suggests it is not a fully complete design yet – and may still be only at a stage where it wants to evaluate driver visibility.