In the aftermath of his accident at the British Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou tweeted to say the Halo cockpit protection device on his car had saved his life.
The Halo became mandatory on Formula One cars in 2018 after years of FIA research into ways of better protecting a driver’s head in open-cockpit racing. Although the concept is relatively simple, a titanium hoop positioned above the driver’s helmet, it has proved remarkably effective and has protected drivers from serious injury, and in some cases death, on a number of occasions since its introduction.
Nevertheless, the sport’s governing body, the FIA, is always looking at ways to improve safety, and Zhou’s first-lap crash in Silverstone will be no different. As with all serious accidents, the FIA will conduct a full investigation into the incident to learn how to improve safety at future races.
Although the FIA has not yet indicated what the investigation will focus on or when it will be concluded, there are two clear areas of concern following Sunday’s crash.
The first was where Zhou’s car ended up when it came to a rest. After being flipped over as a result of contact with George Russell, the Alfa Romeo skidded upside down through the tarmac run-off area before digging into the gravel beyond and barrel-rolling over the tyre barrier. The last bit of the accident pitched the car over the barrier that is designed to absorb impacts and into the catch-fencing beyond.
The catch-fencing did its job remarkably well by preventing the car from flying into an area near marshal posts, photographers and a grandstand, but in stopping Zhou’s car it also dropped into a tight gap behind the tyre barrier. Being stuck between the tyre barrier and the catch fencing made it more complicated for emergency crews to extricate Zhou from the wreckage, which would have been of even more concern if the Chinese driver had been seriously injured in the accident or the car had caught fire.
Russell, who got out of his car in the run-off area and ran to check on Zhou, said the sport needed to learn lessons about crash barrier and catch fencing placement from Sunday’s accident.
“It was horrible, in that position he was stuck there, [there was] nothing he could have done,” Russell said. “We need to think to avoid a car being stuck in such a fine gap.
“The space between the barriers and the metal fence and he was…
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