Formula 1 races have always been action-packed and exciting from past to present. Formula 1 vehicles, which have been constantly changing from past to present, can reach speeds of more than 300 kilometers per hour.
The pilots of these terrifying vehicles have to focus fully on their work, because the slightest mistake can cost their lives. Unfortunately, as in aviation, the rules are sometimes written in blood in Formula 1, although the rules are tightened to ensure full safety.
In the opening lap of the 2022 F1 British Grand Prix, Guanyu Zhou was saved thanks to Halo.
Let’s take a look at what exactly is Halo that saved Zhou.
The environment, called the “Life Cell”, in which the pilots are located, has undergone many changes with the loss of dozens of pilots over the years. The reason for this was, of course, to ensure the safety of the pilot in emergency situations, but the life cell is not enough to save lives in some cases. Although the body of the pilots was protected, their heads were always exposed, and they were only protected by helmets against a major impact.
One of the areas where the living cell is not sufficient is the hitting of the pilots by the objects coming from outside. Although Formula 1 pilots had a helmet on their heads, this helmet was very insufficient for effective and large impacts. After this event became increasingly deadly, the ‘Halo’ structure came into play.
In 2009, a Formula 2 pilot named Henry Surtees hit his head with a wheel thrown from the crashed vehicle, and the pilot went straight off the track and crashed and died. In 2015, Justin Wilson, who was racing in IndyCar, died when a piece of the car crashed in front of him hit his head. An object on Felipe Massa’s head in 2009 almost killed him, but the pilot continued his racing career after that accident.
After these events, Mercedes became the first company to try to find a solution to this issue, and then the FIA started working. Eventually, Ferrari and Mercedes completed their own design and tested this build on the track in early 2016, and it was rumored that by 2018 Halo will be mandatory on all F1 cars.
How solid is the Halo?
Although Halo received complaints from all of the pilots when it was first tested, we can see more clearly with some recent events how beneficial it was to bring it. Although it was said at first that it blocked the road a little and spoiled the aerodynamic structure, when the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix was brought to the fore, it is very clear what a disaster would have happened had it not been for Halo.
Let’s take a closer look at the situation:
In the first corner just after the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, Hulkenberg makes rear-end contact with Fernando Alonso, and Alonso’s car flies over Charles Leclerc’s car. While the front tire of the flying vehicle will come to the head of the pilot with the progress of Charles Leclerc, the pilot continues to race as the driver of Ferrari today thanks to Halo.
A very similar event took place in Formula 2 races in the same year, and the pilot survived with the help of Halo. Most recently, Guanyu Zhou’s life was spared during the opening lap of the 2022 F1 British Grand Prix.
This structure, made of titanium, weighs only 7 kilograms, but can withstand a weight of 12,000 kilograms.
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