The world champion owes the world champion to the halo above his cockpit that Lewis Hamilton was able to climb out of his Mercedes car unscathed in Monza. A safety bar that was booed in 2017, but has already proven its worth in the meantime. Just ask Hamilton, Grosjean, Leclerc and Russell.
Since the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994 at the San Marino GP, the International Motorsport Federation FIA has strived to make Formula 1 safer. In 2016, it just came up with the halo.
The titanium bracket above the cockpit was supposed to protect the riders from flying debris after a crash. And the tests were also promising: The halo can handle the weight of two African elephants – about 12,000 kilograms. A large suitcase was also fired at 225 km/h to ensure safety.
But the F1 drivers were anything but warm for the brace. The halo not only obstructed their view, but was above all “abominable”. “F1 cars are not supposed to be ugly,” suggested Kevin Magnussen. “If it looks shit, it’s shit.”
In a poll, the majority of F1 drivers voted against the halo. Max Verstappen thought that Formula 1 should still have an element of risk. Only Lewis Hamilton changed his mind when an FIA study found driver safety improved by 17 percent.
But the FIA was not fooled: in 2018 the halo became mandatory in Formula 1. And after four seasons, the halo has often proven to be a lifesaver. An anthology.
2018: Charles Leclerc
The cockpit protection already proves its worth in the first year of the halo’s life. In the skirmishes at the start of the GP at Spa-Francorchamps, Fernando Alonso’s McLaren is catapulted over the cockpit of Charles Leclerc’s Sauber. “The halo saved me without a doubt,” admits the Monegask.
2019: Alex Peroni
The halo is also mounted above the cars in Formula 2 and Formula 3. And Alex Peroni is very grateful for that. Barely a week after Anthoine Hubert’s fatal crash in Spa, the 19-year-old Australian escaped death in Monza. He hit a curb in the Parabolica bend, was catapulted into the air and landed on the crash barriers. Thanks to the halo, he was left with “only” a broken vertebra.
2020: George Russell
Those who were still not convinced of the halo would be convinced in 2020. Starting with Williams driver George Russell who escaped unscathed after Antonio Giovinazzi’s heavy crash in the Belgian GP. “When I saw that big wheel coming towards me, I was happy with the halo,” said Russell. “That tire could have flown right over my helmet. It’s safer with a halo.”
2020: Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean miraculously escaped death in the Bahrain GP. After contact with Kvijat’s car, the Frenchman drilled his Haas into the crash barriers. The impact of the crash (53G) broke his car in half and immediately caught fire. The halo prevented Grosjean’s head from making contact with the barrier.
“The halo wasn’t my favorite invention at first,” Grosjean admitted afterwards, “but now I think it’s a great build. I couldn’t have talked to you without the halo.”
2021: Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton was also very happy in Monza that a halo has been mounted above his cockpit. The 7-time world champion got Max Verstappen’s car on his helmet, but was protected by his safety bar.
“My neck feels a bit stiff. My head was hit hard and of course I have a lot of headaches, but I’m fine,” said Hamilton. “Thanks to the halo, the crash didn’t get much worse and I’m very grateful to the people who make our cars and sport safer.”
