What is Halo in F1? How did the safety device save the life of Zhou Guanyu at Silverstone?


What is Halo in F1? How did the safety device save the life of Zhou Guanyu at Silverstone?

Zhou Guanyu's crash at Silverstone

Zhou Guanyu was on the receiving end of a horrific accident at the start of a breathtaking British GP. The race had to be red flagged after a devastating collision involving a bunch of drivers. Both George Russell and Zhou Guanyu had a terrible start to the race, which means they both were swamped from all directions. Russell, after getting tagged from behind, crashed into the Chinese driver going into Turn 1.

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We saw Zhou Guanyu’s car upside down after the collision, skidding along the surface and eventually tumbling over the barrier to crash into the perimeter fencing, which was positioned to safeguard the fans. It was a scary sight for everyone watching the race, but, fortunately, there was no harm done as all the drivers were confirmed to be conscious all along and doing okay.

The situation could have been worse, had the halo not positioned above the driver’s head. The safety device was brought into F1 in 2016 to protect the drivers from the debris that flies around during an accident. Another use of this device was to safeguard the drivers in case the car is upside down. It was heavily criticized when it was first proposed but no one can question the use of it after it potentially saved the life of Zhou Guanyu.

Also read: Watch: Tom Cruise showers words of praise on Lewis Hamilton after podium finish in Silverstone

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Halo came to Zhou Gunayu’s rescue during a horrible accident at Silverstone

Zhou Guanyu's crash at Silverstone
Zhou Guanyu’s crash at Silverstone

It showed us how important it was to shield the driver during such a horrible accident. Zhou Guanyu confirmed that he was okay which was a sigh of relief. He said, “I’m ok, all clear. Halo saved me today. Thanks everyone for your kind messages!”

George Russell was also relieved to hear that. In his post race interview, he said, “First of all, the most important thing is that Zhou is ok. That was a scary incident and all credit to the marshals and medical team for their quick response.

“We need to have a think to avoid a car being stuck in such a fine gap – the space between the barriers and the metal fence and he was just stuck in there, nowhere to go. Something to learn.”

We need to commend the FIA for the introduction of such a valuable crash protection device. But, we still need to keep improving to make F1 as safe as possible for the drivers, who are risking their lives week in and week out.

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Also read: “I gave it everything today,” Lewis Hamilton pleased with his spectacular outing that landed his W13 in P3 at Silverstone

Also read: “Halo saved me today” Zhou Guanyu ‘grateful’ after surviving a horrific crash