The Halo device was criticized initially, but it has proven to a life saving invention for the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Guanyu Zhou.
Last weekend in Silverstone, proved to be scary for both F1 and F2. In the latter’s feature race, Red Bull junior Dennis Hauger hit a sausage curb and landed on top of Roy Nissany’s car. Thankfully, the Israeli driver walked away unhurt, but it was only due to the Halo device installed on the cars.
Another big scare took place later in the day after a huge opening lap crash between multiple drivers. Alex Albon and Guanyu Zhou came off worst, and the former in particular endured a nasty few seconds when his car tumbled, went over the barrier and got stuck between itself and the fence.
John Surtees (the only man to be F1 & Moto GP world champion but often ignored in the heroes listings) campaigned for the Halo after tragically losing son Henry in an F2 race
It’s already saved Hamilton, Le Clerc & Grosjean & today without a doubt saved Zhou
That’s an F1 hero 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/Q4tvZe60CC— Nick Knowles (@MrNickKnowles) July 3, 2022
The car was going at almost 160 mph when it flipped over, and the visuals were extremely disturbing. Miraculously, Zhou too walked away unscathed, and the F1 medical team declared him fit soon enough.
This led to fans and F1 figures thanking the Halo device installed on the cars.
The man behind Halo device which saved Lewis Hamilton from terrible accident
John Surtees was the only man in history to win both the F1 and Moto GP Championships. This legendary racing figure went through terrible tragedy in 2009 when his son Henry, suffered a fatal crash at an F2 race.
He passed away due to a loose tyre hitting his head. And it raised plenty of questions regarding safety measures in the sport. In order to prevent others from going through the same thing, Surtees was a frontrunner in the campaign for F1 to introduce the Halo devices.
Another hugely dramatic moment in the Verstappen/Hamilton title battle 💥😮#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/P4J4bN6wX2
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12, 2021
These devices were not aesthetically appealing to fans and drivers in the beginning. However, after saving so many lives over the last few years, it has now become a overwhelming necessity.
Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton himself went through a scary crash of this type, when Max Verstappen’s Red Bull landed on top his W12 in Monza last year. The Brit too walked away unharmed, in what could have been a very different story had the Halo device not been there.
