In the event that anyone was not watching the Belgian Grand Prix this morning, there was a huge wreck in Turn 1. Fernando Alonso was hit from behind by Nico Hulkenberg and Alonso's car was physically launched over the top of Charles LeClerc.
F1 has been using halos since last year. After seeing this wreck and how the halo pretty much saved LeClerc, I do not know what IndyCar is waiting for.
Oh. Wait. They are ugly. Drivers know the risks. I guess with that line of thinking, we should have just let this young man get his head taken off. Right naysayers?
Check out the "dragster" style halo on most, if not all of the pulling tractors over the past few years, and they aren't moving at any unsafe speed, it's the unseen, unknown stuff that gets ya, I'm not saying open wheel sprints and other cars on this forum need them, but some improvement needs to happen, and it will be something simple. Bob
"Being old, isn't half as much fun, as getting there"! Ole Robert I!
Watched it happen live and then replays multiple times during the safety car and after the race when they slowed it down. Even without the halo I don't think Alonso's car would have clipped Leclerc's head judging by the way the cars were traveling, where the car actually struck the halo, and how the drivers are situated in comparison to the placement of the halo. That said, it was a close call so I'm glad everyone was alright. Just mad that because of the crash, Raikkonen was forced to retire.
If a safety innovation saves even one driver from becoming someone we talk about and say what we would give to have them back, then it is absolutely worth whatever the cost. Financial, appearance, aerodynamics, whatever it may be. If it can be practically applied, the lives saved are immeasurable.
Originally Posted by hoosier race fan:
If a safety innovation saves even one driver from becoming someone we talk about and say what we would give to have them back, then it is absolutely worth whatever the cost. Financial, appearance, aerodynamics, whatever it may be. If it can be practically applied, the lives saved are immeasurable.
In the running for post of the year. Could not agree more. We now have empirical proof of what a halo does.
I don’t mean to beat the dead horse, but after the opening lap wreck in the IndyCar series race at Portland yesterday, I couldn’t help but think of this again. Hinch was very fortunate that Andretti’s car came up over the back of his car and not the front. If he had come up over the front, it could have been tragic. Another instance that makes me think the halo would be a very wise addition to the IndyCar series safety package.
