In the early morning of July 4th, Beijing time, this was an unforgettable moment for Chinese car fans: Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu suffered a serious collision during the F1 British Grand Prix, and the car rolled off the field. Fortunately, Zhou Guanyu himself was not injured.

Jimu News reporter Deng Pengwei

In the early morning of July 4th, Beijing time, this was an unforgettable moment for Chinese car fans: Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu suffered a serious collision in the F1 British Grand Prix. The racing car rolled off the field. Fortunately, Yes, Zhou Guanyu himself was not injured.

Zhou Guanyu (Picture source: Zhou Guanyu Weibo)

Zhou Guanyu was knocked over at the start

In the F1 British Grand Prix, there was chaos at the start. Russell collided with Tsunoda Yuki and brought Zhou Guanyu to the side.

When the accident occurred, the left front wheel of Russell's out-of-control car hit Zhou Guanyu's right rear wheel sideways. Zhou Guanyu's car flipped headfirst and flew out, rushing into the T1 gravel area, crossing the tire wall and getting stuck between the tire and the wall. between.

According to real-time news from Alfa Romeo Racing Team, the Halo system on the car protected Zhou Guanyu’s upper body. Sources at the scene said that an ambulance had already arrived, and Zhou Guanyu climbed out of the car on his own and was carried off the track on a stretcher by the event team.

On-site news said that Zhou Guanyu had been carried out of the field on a stretcher and was able to move.

Alfa Romeo officials later gave news: After a car accident at the start of the British Grand Prix, Zhou Guanyu was conscious and was being evaluated at the track's medical center.

On the morning of July 4, the reporter contacted Mr. Yang, the head of Zhou Guanyu’s Chinese team. Mr. Yang said that Zhou Guanyu is currently in good condition.

After that, Zhou Guanyu reported to everyone through Weibo that he was safe. At this time, the hearts of Chinese car fans fell to the ground.

Alfa Romeo Team claimed that

" Zhou Guanyu can participate in the next race "

Mr. Yang also quoted the statement of Alfa Romeo Team Team Principal Frederic Vasseur.

Vassell said, "There is no doubt that Zhou Guanyu's safety in such a violent collision is the most important thing today. We have all witnessed this serious accident with our own eyes. The FIA ​​and the F1 World Championship have taken great care in terms of safety." The great improvements made have yielded positive results, and thanks again to their efforts, what happened today is another reminder that the work to improve motorsport safety never ends. Guanyu Zhou is healthy and able to compete in next week's Austrian Grand Prix. It's a victory in itself. Overall, we had a difficult race, Bottas (Guanyu Zhou's teammate) was forced to retire due to gearbox problems, and he was in P8 and was looking forward to a strong start. It’s a pity to miss the opportunity to score points, but that’s how racing is. We can take comfort from the speed shown in the race and look forward to next week’s race in Austria with an optimistic attitude.”

Zhou Guanyu’s teammate Bottas. Also talking about the accident, he said, "First of all, the most important thing today is that Zhou Guanyu is safe. Zhou Guanyu suffered a violent collision. I am very fortunate that there were no more serious consequences, and the FIA ​​has confirmed that he is OK. Today The accident once again proved that the Halo system is one of the greatest innovations of F1, which has effectively improved the safety of racing cars in recent years. Regarding my race, we had many opportunities after the restart, but there was a problem with my gearbox. So we ended up having to retire to prevent more damage, which was unfortunate because we had a good pace and could have picked up a lot of points, but we can still see some positives. "The pace of the race looks good, and I think we will be competitive in next weekend's Austrian Grand Prix."

Zhou Guanyu said after the race, "This crash was serious. I am glad that I am safe." Matthew and the medical team responded. Fast, really great. I would also like to thank the FIA ​​and the F1 World Championship for their continued efforts to improve the safety of the car. Halo saved me today, which once again proves that the improvements we have made to the car are real and effective. Valuable results. I have never been so eager to return to the track and continue the career I love. I am now in good health and looking forward to the Austrian Grand Prix next week."

What is Halo

Zhou Guanyu said after the accident. It was Halo who saved him, and what kind of thing Halo was was a hot search topic for a while.

So how does Halo protect the safety of riders?

In 2016, FIA technical officials installed a "flip-flop" on the car where the Shield was originally placed. Because this weird "flip-flop" looks like a ring, the big guys in the F1 paddock nicknamed it "Halo" (meaning halo).

Halo is made of titanium alloy with a diameter of 50 mm. The three fulcrums are welded directly in front of the cockpit and behind the left and right sides respectively. It can withstand the pressure of 116 kN of vertical collision and 46 kN of lateral collision. This is perhaps the biggest advantage of titanium alloys - ultra-light yet crash-resistant. In January 2017, when the FIA official conducted a test, a model man wearing a helmet was placed in the Halo ring, and then a 20kg Pirelli tire was pushed into the Halo ring at a speed of 225 kilometers per hour. As a result, people were surprised to find that the Halo ring did not undergo any deformation and the model man remained intact.

In this accident, Zhou Guanyu’s car was knocked over and flew off the track with its chassis in the air. It spun into the T1 gravel area and then hit the tire wall and flew out of the field. In the process, the Halo device absorbed It absorbed most of the impact and protected Zhou Guanyu from serious fatal injuries during the rotational friction with the ground.

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