Hyundai Express News (Reporter Wang Wei) The vehicle collided at a speed of about 250 km/h, flew into the air, fell to the ground on all four wheels, slid dozens of meters out of the track, and crashed into the protective ditch of the fans' stands. ... On the evening of July 3rd, Beijing time, Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo Racing Team suffered a serious rollover accident during the F1 British Grand Prix held at the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom, which attracted the attention of fans around the world. Fortunately, Zhou Guanyu, who suffered a serious accident, was almost unscathed and walked out of the track normally. Why is this? He would like to thank his "savior" - the Halo system on F1 racing .
Nicknamed "Flip Flop", now known as "Halo of Immortality"
What is Halo? According to the official Weibo of "People's Daily Sports", it is mainly used to protect drivers from flying debris and retains the open cockpit unique to formula racing. Because of its appearance, it is nicknamed "flip-flops" by many car fans. Test data shows that the Halo system can withstand a static load of 15 times the mass of the vehicle itself in the event of a racing collision, effectively protecting the driver's safety. This means that this 7kg component can withstand an impact of around 12 tonnes and is the strongest part of the car. The official description of F1 is very interesting - it can bear the weight of an double-decker bus .
Halo is full of technology and expensive to build, with a starting price of 15,000 euros (approximately RMB 100,000). This life-saving device is made of titanium alloy and has a diameter of 50 mm. The three fulcrums are welded directly in front of the cockpit and behind the left and right sides. At first glance, it looks just like a "flip-flop". Its function is to protect the driver's head from fatal impacts when the car collides and rolls over.
Although it is nicknamed "flip-flops" by car fans, the official name of Halo is actually "Halo". After being forced to join F1 cars by the FIA in 2018, Zhou Guanyu has saved the lives of at least four F1 drivers, including top drivers such as Hamilton, Leclerc and Grosjean. . Today, Halo, the "halo", has gained the reputation of the "halo of immortality" among drivers and fans.
was criticized by many teams, drivers, and fans at the beginning of its debut.
According to official F1 news, Halo’s debut originated from a fatal accident. During the 2014 F1 Japan Grand Prix, driver Bianchi hit the track crane on the rainy track, suffered severe head injuries, and eventually died. Affected by this, the FIA decided to introduce the Halo system in F1 races and various single-seat formula racing competitions in the 2018 season.
But it is such a "life-saving tool" for riders, and it was not optimistic at first. Some fans say that the system looks too ugly. At the same time, although F1 officially states that it does not affect the open cockpit, some fans do not think so. They say that Halo makes the cockpit look completely divorced from the original appearance of a formula car. In addition to the doubts from the outside world, some F1 racing drivers are not optimistic about this weird device installed on the car. It has been criticized for its shortcomings of increasing the weight of the car and blocking the view on some uphill sections. There are reports that the strategy before the start of the season During the group meeting, nine out of ten teams voted against using the Halo system.
"There is nothing uglier than that 'flip-flops' on the cockpit. If you give me a saw, I can't wait to saw it off right now!" Mercedes team manager Wolff said I once complained like this. But Hamilton, the head driver of the Mercedes team, was very supportive. He said at the time: "If it can protect the safety of the driver and will not affect driving, why can't it be used? Unless I am a fool."
is online It has become a "life-saving tool" for many drivers.
However, since Halo was launched in F1 in 2018, the fact that drivers have survived many serious accidents has gradually verified the effectiveness of the Halo system. Halo, which has "repeatedly made extraordinary achievements", has gradually won the championship. The support and affirmation of F1 event participants and spectators. The first time this system played a life-saving role occurred in the first year when F1 racing cars officially wore "flip-flops".At the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix, due to a collision at the start, the McLaren driven by Alonso flew directly over the head of Leclerc's Sauber. Under the protection of the Halo system, Leclerc was lucky. A bullet dodged.
The most serious accident in F1 in the past 20 years that occurred at the Bahrain Station in 2020 also relied on the Halo system to save the life of Haas Team driver Grosjean . He collided with Toro Rosso's Kvyat shortly after the start. Grosjean's car hit the guardrail at 211 km/h and broke into two parts, causing a fire. The Halo system was still intact, with only minor deformations. Grosjean, who had not supported the Halo system, finally escaped with only minor injuries.
At the Monza station of the 2021 season, Hamilton, who has always supported Halo, collided with Verstappen . Verstappen's car was pushed into the air by Hamilton's car. If it were not for the Halo system, Hamilton's life might be in danger.
Follow-up
Zhou Guanyu: Halo saved me
Maybe I can catch up with the next race
As the first Chinese driver in the history of the F1 track, the situation of Zhou Guanyu who suffered an accident has attracted much attention. After the ambulance crew rescued Zhou Guanyu from the overturned car, he was carried on a stretcher and sent to the event medical center of Silverstone Circuit for detailed examination. Soon after, the Alfa Romeo team where Zhou Guanyu played for received news that the Chinese driver was conscious and had no signs of fractures in his body. He would stay in the event medical center for observation for a period of time.
The accident occurred at 10 pm Beijing time and at 12 midnight, when Ferrari driver Sainz won the championship at Silverstone, Zhou Guanyu had been allowed to leave the event medical center. Zhou Guanyu immediately reported to everyone on social media that he was safe, and also posted a fresh selfie photo with the text "I'm fine, I'm lucky to still be standing here, Halo saved me today. Thank you everyone for showing me Concern! "
Later, Zhou Guanyu returned to the Alfa Romeo team area in the paddock. F1 CEO Domenicali came to visit Zhou Guanyu and expressed his happiness for his safe return. Now it seems that Zhou Guanyu is very likely to participate in this weekend's 11th station of this year's F1 Grand Prix - Austria station. In addition, Williams driver Albon Albon, who was affected in Zhou Guanyu's accident, has also been confirmed to be fine and discharged from the hospital.
(Picture source: Weibo screenshot, editor Zhang Yu)
