Formula 1's 2018 mandated "Halo" concept took a step forward in Hungary on Wednesday.

Many in the paddock and beyond are railing against the dubious aesthetics and anti-F1 DNA of the cockpit protection system.

"Of course you can't reject the safety argument," Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg wrote in his new column for the German broadcaster Sport1. "But must Formula 1 be safer than it is? Should motor racing not be a little dangerous? Is that not part of the attraction and appeal for both drivers and the fans?"

The argument against F1 from an aesthetical and driver visibility point of view took a knock on Wednesday when Mercedes reserve driver George Russell pulled out of the pits. His silver car was fitted with a Halo development whose central support -- the part immediately in front of the driver's eyes -- was notably thinner.

FIA technical boss Laurent Mekies confirmed: "At the moment, the central support is 2 cm thick, but we believe there is scope to improve the visibility for the drivers. We will carry out tests and reduce the thickness to 16 millimeters. We will push the system to its limits."

Russell said after trying the Halo update: "My vision was not restricted at all by the Halo, surprisingly."

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