Kimi Raikkonen says Halo had an unexpected benefit in Australia. Kimi says the Halo acted like a sun visor .

Scuderia Ferrari Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen can be added to the list of drivers who are not particularly bothered by the new Halo safety device after it had an unexpected benefit at the season-opening race at Albert Park, which took place last weekend in Melbourne. Due to the late start time of 16:10 local time and a sunset of 19:26, the sun is low on the horizion during the latter stage of the race and the glare can be distracting to drivers.

However Kimi Raikkonen says the Halo acted like a sun visor and therefore had an added and unexpected benefit in Australia: “It was no different than in testing or at any other point and I think it definitely doesn’t disturb you at all,” said the Finn, who finished the race in third place. – “I think it was helpful here because of the sun; when it’s coming in at the right height, it’s blocking the sun in the eyes. So, I think it was beneficial here, and it’s safer. Maybe people don’t like how it looks but you know, it might make a difference for us one day and it’s a good thing to have.” – Kimi Raikkonen said, as reported by the Italian national sports newspaper based in Rome Corriere dello Sport.

His Scuderia Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel agreed, though revealed one drawback of the reduced upwards visibility: “During the race, it was no issue. As Kimi said, it even helped [but] in the parade lap, that’s when it was bothering me because you couldn’t see so well the people in the grandstands.” – the German driver concluded.