What is the Halo? Thoughts About F1 Driver Safety

Rolling structures

Esteban Ocon in his Alpine

What is the Halo?

The halo is a titanium bar that protects the driver from potential rolling crashes. While it was initially hated due to how it looked, it has become an absolutely necessary technical advancement mandated by the FIA for the safety of drivers.

When first introduced, drivers, the very people the halo was meant to protect, strongly disliked it; Lewis Hamilton, seven time world champion said that the halo was “the worst looking mod in F1 history”. However, since its implementation in 2018, it has saved countless lives in crashes.

Rolling structures

Rolling structures help protect the car in case of a rolling crash. The primary rolling structure is the roll hoop located right behind the driver. The secondary rolling structure is the halo.

Teams make the roll hoop as light as possible but they are very strong and can withstand up to 11,000 kg. There are many different types of roll hoops, but all have to follow FIA regulations to make sure that they are safe. The wing on the top of the roll hoop is not only where the on-board camera is located, but it helps distinguish drivers from each other if they are on the same team. The first car or the “competitor” is given the black one while the second car has a florescent yellow.

In contrast to the roll hoop, the halo has a standard structure. There are three parts to the halo: the V transition, the front tube, and the rear mounts.

The halo itself can hold up to 12,000kg which is enough to withstand the weight of a double decker bus. It is made from a titanium alloy with a carbon shroud around it so that it is strong but also light. Teams are not allowed to build the halo because it is a safety measure but they make sure that the chassis of the car is modified to accommodate the halo. This makes for an effective survival cell, also know as a monocoque, which is created with carbon fiber and is almost indestructible.

Does driver position matter?

Yes it does! Imagine you are standing in the car while it flips—the halo would do virtually nothing to keep you alive in this case. In order for the halo to be effective, a bar can be lined up from the top of the roll hoop to the front of the halo. The gap between the bar and the drivers helmet has to be at least 75mm.

Is the halo effective?

There was the infamous time that Max Verstappen’s Red Bull ended up on top of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes in the 2021 Italian GP. Hamilton came out of the pit lane slightly ahead of Verstappen and they went wheel to wheel in the first chicane. Hamilton did not give Verstappen enough room on the turn and the Red Bull hit the sausage curb which propelled it on top of the Mercedes.

It is obvious from this picture that the halo is protecting Hamilton by creating a gap between his head and the rear wheel of the Red Bull. While he may have initially been against it, Lewis Hamilton knows that the “halo saved his life”.

A more recent example of the halo capability was at the 2022 British GP. Zhou Guanyu flipped over in the first minutes of the race and his Alfa Romeo skidded on the track before coming to a stop.

Without the halo, Guanyu would have surely been dead in this scenario.

The effect of the halo on aerodynamics

With the addition of the halo, teams have had to strategize ways to overcome the decrease in aerodynamic advantage cars have. Some teams put small winglets on the V transition while others leave it empty and instead slightly change the shape of the rear mounts.

Winglets on the top of Force India (upper left) , McLaren, Torro Rosso and Sauber

While the halo might have some aerodynamic drawbacks and be an ‘ugly’ change from the quintessential Formula 1 car, it does its job well and that is all that matters in a life or death scenario.

Sources

1. https://www.racecar-engineering.com/tech-explained/tech-explained-formula-1-halo/3/

2. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.planetf1.com%2Fnews%2Festeban-ocon-blames-set-up-trailing-fernando-alonso%2F&psig=AOvVaw0Vd3IkzITHnCbWmuvDm0cB&ust=1667082545153000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCJDahsn8g_sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAO

3. https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/04/motorsport/zhou-guanyu-halo-saved-his-life-spt-intl/index.html

4. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-sun.com%2Fsport%2Fmotorsport%2F3646774%2Flewis-hamilton-max-verstappen-crash-italian-gp%2F&psig=AOvVaw2sJre6qVw_VCZnR8WZhLsa&ust=1667081120768000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCLCe9qH3g_sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAc

5. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fsport%2F2021%2Fsep%2F12%2Fhalo-saved-my-life-says-lewis-hamilton-after-verstappen-crash-at-italian-gp&psig=AOvVaw2sJre6qVw_VCZnR8WZhLsa&ust=1667081120768000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCLCe9qH3g_sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAm

6. How The Halo Works | F1 TV Tech Talk | Crypto.com

7. https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/formula_1_-_sporting_regulations_-_2022_-_iss_6_-_2022-04-29.pdf

8. https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/34193132/halo-saved-zhou-guanyu-life-crash-raised-two-new-f1-safety-concerns

9. Zhou Okay After Heavy Silverstone Crash | 2022 British Grand Prix