The Halo: One Year Later, The Findings
The 2018 season saw the introduction of an appendage that sparked much debate and criticism: the Halo. For or against, everyone had their stance and held their positions. While it quickly became an obvious choice for some, it's time to take a moment to look back at its origins and assess the arguments of its detractors, as well as the certainties brought by the Halo. Third and final article related to the history of the halo providing the final observation.
The progressive evolution of safety in F1, outlined in our first article related to the halo, confirmed that its introduction was logical from a safety standpoint.
Once the delicate implementation is completed, we are now at the dawn of the second F1 season under the Halo era, and one thing seems clear: the Halo has achieved unanimous approval.
Many incidents have confirmed the statements of the FIA authorities and have illustrated the theory in practice.
The most concrete case being the accident involving Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso at Spa, where the latter’s car landed on that of the young Monegasque and hit the Sauber’s Halo.
Bedlam comes to Belgium in the blink of an eye #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #Spa pic.twitter.com/SYdtnttVO9
— Formula 1 (@F1) 27 août 2018
Leclerc said after the race, “I have never been a fan of the Halo, but I must say that I was very glad to have it above my head.”
Many personalities praised this new device at the end of the event, like former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, who stated
« We can end the discussions around the Halo now. It will save lives. »
If opinions remained uncertain about the possible impacts on the bodily aspect of the Belgian GP accident, the final report of the incident concluded in December 2018 that the Halo had indeed protected Charles Leclerc. The study confirms that without this protection, it would not have been the wheel, but the front wing of the McLaren that would have struck the Sauber driver’s visor with potentially fatal consequences.
Other events confirmed the usefulness of the Halo during the season. Notably in Formula 2 when at Barcelona, Nirei Fukuzumi’s Arden landed on the cockpit of Tadasuke Makino’s Russian Time.
Only the issue of driver extraction can still spark debate, particularly with reference to Nico Hülkenberg’s spectacular rollover in Abu Dhabi, where he was trapped under his car until rescuers arrived. The authorities respond to this criticism by stating that the Halo, by creating a clearance space, prevents in most cases the burying of cars in the gravel.
Translate:
A scary start to the final race of the season for @HulkHülkenberg 😱
He walked away unscathed from his big collision with Romain Grosjean#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/bAVm0LRgtQ
— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 novembre 2018
On the fans’ side, the debate seems settled, as the Halo has proven that the spectacle remains the same and does not alter the racing events. Television has also adapted to the system to take advantage of the Halo by integrating various performance indicators during onboard cameras.
Thermal cam 🌡️
A cool view of some hot tyres 👌#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/naOkrZSZlh
— Formula 1 (@F1) 23 novembre 2018
Just like most safety features that have emerged over the years, the Halo has managed to prove its worth by demonstrating its utility in racing. Various detractors have gradually come to recognize the importance of this evolution. The future of Formula 1 and different promotional formulas will, therefore, include the Halo, which will likely continue to prove its utility in the upcoming seasons, as demonstrated by the F1 2021 prototype championed by Ross Brawn and Liberty Media.
2⃣0⃣2⃣1⃣
👀 First look> https://t.co/rkRvM2ztpH#F1 pic.twitter.com/Q1VZxiDedf
— Formula 1 (@F1) 14 septembre 2018
