SILVERSTONE, United Kingdom — In a season of
technical strife and tension,
Formula One united on Monday and saluted the
sport’s ruling body and its ‘halo’ device for saving two lives in horrific
accidents during the British Grand Prix.
اضافة اعلان
In a spectacular race won by
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz,
Chinese rookie Zhou Guanyu survived a high-speed opening lap crash in which he
was sent bouncing and scraping upside down across asphalt and gravel into the
barriers.
His
Alfa Romeo car was severely damaged, but the
23-year-old driver survived unhurt and conscious thanks to the
once-controversial ‘halo’ cockpit protection device, made from titanium, which
had earlier also saved the life of a Formula Two driver.
Zhou’s remarkable survival, without a scratch,
enabled the sport to push aside arguments over ‘ground effect’ technology,
bumpy and proposing cars, and mid-season threats of looming rule changes in
praise of something more important.
The ‘halo’ was pioneered by the International
Motoring Federation (FIA), led by Charlie Whiting, the long-serving race
director and safety delegate, who died suddenly at the Australian Grand Prix in
2019.
He overcame opposition from traditionalists,
including seven-time world champion
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team chief Toto
Wolff who wanted to retain the purity and danger of open cockpits.
Wolff said he wanted to “take a chain saw” to the
device, introduced in 2018, but both men have since changed their views.
The fact he came out of it is crazy. We sometimes criticize the FIA, but you have to give to them how much they have helped us — and the accident in F2 too.
Before Sunday’s stunning evidence, the ‘halo’ had
helped save several other drivers from serious injury or worse in recent years
including
Charles Leclerc at the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean at
the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix and Hamilton at last year’s Italian event when he
collided with title rival and eventual champion Max Verstappen.
At Silverstone, it was Zhou who escaped after being
trapped in his car just seconds after the race had started as it landed on its
side in the fencing at the 240-kph Abbey Curve.
“I’m ok, all clear,” he tweeted. “Halo saved me
today. Thanks everyone for your kind messages.”
F2 driver survives crash
Only hours earlier in the F2
race, Dennis Hauger’s car had landed on top of Roy Nissany in another crash,
reminiscent of Hamilton’s in Monza last year when Verstappen’s Red Bull vaulted
across his Mercedes’ cockpit.
After claiming his maiden F1 victory at the 150th
attempt, Sainz admitted he had initially shut the shocking Zhou accident from
his mind during the one-hour delay before the race re-started.
“First of all, I took the decision not to see the
accident. When the red flag happened, I knew there must have been a big shunt,
but I didn’t watch the TV.
“I was incredibly happy to see Zhou come out of his
car without major issues and when I saw what had happened after the race, I was
completely shocked. It was incredible.
“The fact he came out of it is crazy. We sometimes
criticize the
FIA, but you have to give to them how much they have helped us — and the accident in F2 too.
“Today, the FIA saved two lives and we need to give
it to them, for the amazing work they are doing in safety. ... I thank them for
this and I love the sport for that.”
Sergio Perez, who finished second for Red Bull,
added: “It has been a while since we have seen an accident like that and it is
hard to see it and then delete it from your mind and to focus.”
Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate
George Russell, whose
collision with Zhou at the start instigated the multi-car crash that saw the
Chinese sent flying, flipping and barrel-rolling before scraping the ground,
stopped and ran over to check on him.
“That was a scary incident,” he said. “All credit to
the marshals and the medical team for their quick response. ... It was the
scariest thing I’ve seen in my life. It was horrible. He was stuck there and
there was nothing I could do.”
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