McLaren wants helmet ’tear-off’ rethink

McLaren has called on F1 to consider a rule tweak about the disposal of drivers’ helmet visor tear-offs.

The Honda-powered team found that Fernando Alonso’s brake failure in the Spanish grand prix, which caused him to almost run over the front jack-man in the pits, was caused by one of the disposable plastic strips.

Drivers begin each race with a few layers of the ’tear-offs’ on the visor, so that when visibility becomes poor, one can be pulled off and discarded.

But a tear-off on Sunday became stuck in one of Alonso’s brake ducts, leading to overheating and failure.

A team spokesman told Germany’s Bild newspaper: "We could not tell if it was his own or another driver’s as it was melted and charred."

McLaren boss Eric Boullier added: "Obviously the drivers need them.

"But we should consider where and how they are discarded. Maybe we need to come up with something for the future," he said.