What is 'Halo' in F1? The safety device that protected Chinese Driver Zhou from certain death

A deadly accident during the British Grand Prix could have cost young Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu his life. But thanks to a titanium device, called Halo, the 23-year-old Alfa Romeo driver walked off unscathed.

Not just this, the motor racing fans witnessed another scary incident earlier on Sunday at the Silverstone track. In F2, Williams test driver Roy Nissany survived after Dennis Hauger's vehicle landed atop his car. Commentators exclaimed Halo did its job!

But, What is this HALO device that also helped Lewis Hamilton escape tragedy last year and before that saved Romain Grosjean's life in 2020?

Also Watch! F1 racer Zhou Guanyu survives lethal car crash at British Grand Prix

The Halo technology was made mandatory in racing cars, back in 2018.

It is a 9-kg curved Y-shaped bar made of lightweight Titanium. Placed on the car's cockpit, it works as a protection system over the driver's head.

Though the crash helmets were effective in preventing head injuries, this device restricts any large objects entering the car's cockpit. It has the ability to save the driver in case the car flips or lands on another.

The governing body for world Motorsport, FIA, after its research highlighted that the survival rate of drivers increased by 17% due to the Halo technology. As per the international body, the sturdy bar which is the 'strongest part of the car' has the capability to take the weight of 2 African elephants (6000kgs) and can deflect a large suitcase at a speed of 225 km/hr.

Although, when introduced, the technology did not get a warm welcome, but it has proved to be a life-saver.

Hamilton, the Mercedes driver who in 2021 had a near-death experience at the Monza GP, credited Halo for saving his life; In 2016, he had called it the, 'worst looking modification in F1 history'.

At the Bahrain GP in 2020, Grosjean's car split into two and immediately caught fire, but the French racer limped off with some minor burns on his fingers. He later called the device 'ugly, but life-saving!'