Formula 1: The halo device is here to stay

After the nasty crash during the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, it is clear that the halo device is in Formula 1 to stay.

The 2018 Formula 1 season is the first during which the halo device has been used to protect drivers in the cockpit. The device is a three-pronged bar that is curved from one side of the cockpit to the other above the driver’s head. The third prong comes down and attaches to the car in front of the driver.

The move to add the halo was widely criticized by Formula 1 teams, drivers and fans alike. Many people argued that it would only make drivers less safe by making extraction from their cars much more challenging, and many people simply did not believe that the device is aesthetically pleasing.

In fact, many people still do not believe that the halo is aesthetically pleasing. But after Sunday’s turn one, lap one crash in the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, it is clear that the halo is here to stay.

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But while this was pretty much assumed to be the case, one thing about the fact that it is here to stay has changed. Now the overwhelming majority of fans are thankful for it.

At the start of the 44-lap race around the 19-turn, 4.352-mile (7.004-kilometer) Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium, Nico Hulkenberg ran into the back of Fernando Alonso, sending Alonso’s car airborne.

Alonso’s car landed right on the cockpit of Charles Leclerc’s car. Had the halo not been there for the car to effectively bounce off of, the 20-year-old Monegasque may have been seriously injured, if not killed.

Here is a video of this massive wreck.

Here is a direct shot of the halo on Leclerc’s car being impacted. Take note of how scraped up the halo ended up being following the accident.

Here is a picture of the halo on Leclerc’s car following the wreck.

Leclerc himself echoed what many fans were thinking. He, too, was not a big fan of the halo, but he was sure thankful that he had it above him when Alonso’s car came crashing down on his.

https://twitter.com/Charles_Leclerc/status/1033772402302484480

Here is how several fans reacted to the accident on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/Rufneck84/status/1034234630923149312

Thousands of others echoed the same sentiments, including 2016 Formula 1 champion, who believes that all debates about the halo need to be ended now.

Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting backed these reactions. Here is what he had to say about the crash, according to Express.

"“It doesn’t take much imagination to think that the tyre marks would have actually been on Charles’ head. It would have been a miracle if they weren’t, had the halo not been there. What is clear is the significant tyre marks on both the chassis and the halo. It looks like it has had a fairly hefty whack.”"

Just 13 races into its inaugural Formula 1 season, the halo device has already proven that it is worth it, and as a result, fans have — in the blink of an eye — become far more content with the fact that it is here to stay.