The general consensus among the drivers is the device - set to be introduced in 2018 - is a good thing for safety, but some think it could be "the end of F1 as we know it". 

The sport has always been open-cockpit racing, but some drivers believe moving to a closed cockpit will ruin the excitement F1 brings. 

However, it seems as if the more experienced drivers on the grid are the ones in favour of the halo, with the newer guys being the ones not seeing eye-to-eye with the veterans. 

We take a look at what some of the drivers had to say...

Sebastian Vettel: “There should not be a doubt in your mind about whether to introduce it or not. If you offer the system as it stands, with the power it has to give it us protection, offer that to [late IndyCar driver] Justin Wilson some time ago, he would take it. We would be happy to take it, to help save his life. We cannot turn back the clock but knowing that something is there that helps us in certain scenarios, it would be ignorant and stupid to ignore."

Fernando Alonso: “I'm in favour. I'm positive about the Halo,” said the Spaniard. “I think if extra protection on our heads could save one life, that's worth putting it. I unfortunately lost some friends, some colleagues, in my journey in single-seaters. Justin Wilson, and Jules [Bianchi], in some accidents that could help in those conditions. In terms of aesthetics it's difficult to please the entire world and that will never happen. I remember 50 years ago Formula 1 didn't have seat belts. These days, with social media and all that stuff, people will start saying 'Formula 1 should be with no seat belts' because the drivers are moving and this is the DNA of Formula 1. This is not true.

Max Verstappen: "I don’t like it, but of course at the end of the day you have to respect the decision of the FIA. I think since we introduced a Virtual Safety Car, that has reduced a lot of risk of speeding under the yellow flags in the race. Also, with the wheel tethers they are quite strong at the moment so you won’t lose a wheel very easily, and when there are parts flying around the car it isn’t really going to protect you. So, I don’t really understand why we should need it.”

Kevin Magnussen: "I agree with Max. It takes away some of the passion that F1 is talking about. When you look at the car and it is ugly, F1 cars aren’t meant to be ugly. That is the reason that a Ferrari is more exciting than a Mazda. It is something to do with passion. If it looks s**t, it is s**t."

Romain Grosjean: “Personally I think it was a sad day for Formula 1 when it was announced - and I am still against it. I don't think it's got a space in Formula 1. As a GPDA member and director, as a driver, I need to thank the FIA for all the research because the research has been pretty strong, the Halo is a strong device against a lot of cases. There are occasions where it can get worse, which I am not particularly fond of. There are a few problems that we may have that we haven't thought of - seeing the starting light on the grid, no one has tried that."

Jolyon Palmer: "This will be the end of Formula 1 as we know it, with an open cockpit. I think it’s an over-reaction to problems in other series. Since 1994 there’s been one fatality in F1, which is tragic, but the Halo wouldn’t have stopped it."

Kimi Raikkonen: “I don’t think it will bother us driving-wise at all. We won’t even notice. I think all the talk about it - that you cannot see - is nonsense. The people who write it have never driven an F1 car. It’s purely for safety and I think it’s a good thing. If we can avoid one serious accident because of that, I think it’s the price to pay for sure.”

Sergio Perez: "I’m in favour of it because whenever it has to do with safety, safety has to come first. If we had the Halo by now, in the last six or seven years it would have saved a life so it’s worth it. I think once we implement the Halo the teams will improve, I think the halo needs a lot of work right now but I’m sure the system will be improved a lot. We have a lot of clever engineers in F1 and now all the teams know it will be in place for next year, I believe that they will improve it a lot.”

Nico Hulkenberg: "I’m still going to race — I won’t retire, but I was never a big supporter of the Halo and the additional head protection and I’m still not. Obviously there is that element of the aesthetics, the looks, and it doesn’t look pretty, for sure. We are protecting against a freak accident that is one out of a million. Security and protection on the cars gets better every year, and the improved wheel tethers give even less chance of a tyre and heavy things flying around. I’m not sure this additional protection is necessary because all the other areas are improving and we’d compromise the looks quite a lot.”

Marcus Ericsson: “I think its positive. Safety should be prioritised and I think the FIA has done a really good job to look into this. If this is the best solution at the moment, I think it’s a no-brainer to go for it for next year. If that can save someone in the future then I think it’s great. I tested it last year and when I drove with it I didn’t really notice it at all. It maybe it doesn’t look pretty but I think it’s something we can get used to. Always when there’s big changes in F1, it doesn’t look so pretty at first but then people get used to it, and I think it’s going to be the same thing with the Halo.”

Stoffel Vandoorne: "Aesthetically it’s not the nicest thing we’ve put on the car and I think a lot of people agree with that. We’ve been pushing to improve cockpit safety and head protection and I think the FIA have done lots of investigations on what would be the best solutions. For them, this is the best solution so I don’t think it’s a big surprise to see it on 2018 on the cars.”