Just had a look through some sites on how the halo works, seems to me the restriction to vision is mainly sky so would avoid the distraction from helicopters and "flying cameras" etc. Also I saw an interesting video of F1 wheels being fired at various cockpits etc. quite impressive. I can see the advantage of the halo over a cockpit, that in the scenario of a wet race, you could hardly have a cockpit with wiper that would work well over the range of speed an F1 car travels at. The only real negative I saw was if the halo itself fails either in a crash or malfunction, would you really want those bits of metal so close to your head at that kind of speed?

If something hits the halo with enough force to break it, I suspect the driver was going to be in trouble anyway.

The halo has been tested in 17 different situations; in 15 it made a positive contribution to the outcome, in the other 2 it was neutral. From a pure safety point of view it's hard to argue against. Aestheticaly I hate it and to me it feels like a fudge to keep F1 an open cockpit formula .

As for races to attend this year, I'm sorry that Sepang had fallen off the calendar - it knocks Singapore into a cocked hat in terms of spectator experience - great viewing and it somewhere F1 cars can really stretch their legs. Whilst a few km away from the circuit, KL (IMHO) is a much more interesting city than Singapore which has been sanitised to death...and KL is a hellhel a lot cheaper! So, in the absence of Sepang this year, I think Austin looks favourite for me .

What did you get up to in KL? I'm going to be going to Singapore again, and want to have a look around the region.

Where to start?!

I was living and working in KL until recently, and still look forward to my shorter visits.

OK....get off the 'plane and head to the Bukit Bintag end of Changkat for a massage ~£12 for an hour. Does wonders for jet lag.

Food is incredibly good, diverse (population comprises largely folk of Malay, Indian and Chinese descent) and cheap. Changkat looks like a tourist trap, but has some genuinely good restaurants - Opium for great food, ambiance, cocktails and beer drunk from bowls....Baan 26, get a Tom Yum seafood soup to share....and a beer tower. Head to Jalan Alor for bewildering chaos and streetfood. BBQ skate wing is to be recommended; claypot frog should be tried as should the 'mustang king' durian. Hawker places abound...and not the sterilised, one-step-from-a-Mall-foodcourt type you get in Singapore. Go to Suzi's Corner in Ampang...have the fillet loin steak (nan set and satay to get you started and then Aussie beef cooked to perfection for ~£5 Try the Roti Tissue for dessert - the pinnacle of the rot makers craft.

Petronas towers are obvious, but worth a trip up, I'd recommend just before sunset (sun sets +/_ 10 mins 7:30pm). Book online a few days in advance - these slots go quickly.

Whilst there, head to the lake behind KLCC either on the hour or on the half hour after dark and watch!

For a great view of the towers, book a 7pm table in Fuego (S. American, great guacamole) in the Troika Towers.

Jaya Petaling (China Town street market)- great fun, lots of good natured banter, always tables to sit at to have a cold beer and people watch.

Culture - Batu caves, get a train out there, 20 min's or so. Hindu temple in the main chamber. Take the 'dark tour' when you get there.

Thean Hou Temple is the big Chinese Temple the tour guides recommend and its worth a visit, but I prefer the smaller local places - Guan Di (Chinese) and Sri Mahamariamman (Hindu) both near Jaya Petaling...and If in the area for food, seek out the Old China Cafe - housed in an old Chinese Laundry - good Nyonya coking. Closer to Bukit Bintang, Lima Blas is my favourite Nyonya restaurant in town. For Malaysian food, Bijan in Jalan Ceylon takes some beating.

For a proper local S.E. Asian fruit, veg and wet market, visit Chow Kit - an assalt on the senses!

Uber works well n KL and s stupidly cheap.

Much more, but hopefully a flavour here.

Edit - apologies, somewhat OT .

It's my thread, so it's ok!

I'm not much of a foodie, so not much there for me, really but thanks very much for the long post all the same :)

No worries.

Unsure of your interests - what is it you like about Singapore? - but city wise, Hanoi & Seam Reap are both worth a visit for non-foodie reasons.

Up until last year, this seat at the GP for 3 days cost ~£52 and that alone justified a visit to KL in my book:

by https://www.flickr.com/photos/81695468@N05/, on Flickr

Actually, on Friday, access was to any grandstand seat you fancied...

by https://www.flickr.com/photos/81695468@N05/, on Flickr

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by https://www.flickr.com/photos/81695468@N05/, on Flickr

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by https://www.flickr.com/photos/81695468@N05/, on Flickr

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by https://www.flickr.com/photos/81695468@N05/, on Flickr

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by https://www.flickr.com/photos/81695468@N05/, on Flickr

And posted here before, but my favourite picture from Sepang for all sorts of reasons (2016)
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I have friends in Singapore, so I mostly go to visit them, and combine it with the GP. Last time was comfortably the best race, because of the first corner excitement. As we all know it's much better to watch the racing on tv.

The concerts/entertainment/general buzz around the city are also a big pull in terms of the experience.

I need to work on my photography skills :Dhttps://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...e68969ee52.jpg

Friends in a city certainly help! Less so exploring the region.

I watched the 2016 Singapore race live and whilst I enjoyed the novelty of seeing the cars run at night (and the concerts - Imagine Dragons were great - Singapore certainly try to put on a show) I found the spectating frustrating, despite numerous screens (which are of course very effective in the dark) as you can only see a very limited section of track from any given vantage point - a street circuit problem, I know. I also expected the cars to look fast - close proximity and lots of reference points - the oposite to Silverstone for example - but they just didn't, rather they just looked clumsy and constrained.

I would also disagree that it it's better to watch racing on TV. It's certainly easier, but a good race on a great circuit (Spa for example) is a much more stimulating and satisfying experience if you are there hearing (even in this hybrid era, you don't get a sense of how awful the Honda engine sounds on overrun on TV...Martin Brundle accurately likened it to a skeleton on a biscuit tin!) smelling and feeling the cars .

I'd agree with that about the circuit in Singapore.
We actually got a better sense of the speed and accuracy in the free standing areas where you can actually get very close and see just how fine the drivers are cutting it, especially in qualifying. Turn 5 was particularly good in that regard. I suppose that, once one has got used to the incredible speed, it gets a bit same-y after a while. I'd love to watch at Spa one day, though, having knowledge of the circuit.

Back on topic, the Mercedes was looking ominous at the non-representative testing session.

OK here's the Force India version-
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...8b72ece188.jpg
As you can see safety canopy as well as low level halo.
Then there's McLaren-
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...73c0eb1b8e.jpg
Obviously not in livery and they need to work on their wheel layout.