F1 Academy driver Chloe Grant says the Halo safety bar saved her life after a horror crash at Monza yesterday.
Grant’s car was launched into the air after she attempted to overtake rival Bianca Bustamante on turn one of the track.
Her wheel dragged along the top of Bustamante’s Halo system before flipping and sliding off the track upside-down while on fire.
Without the Halo system it is likely both drivers would have been killed.
Grant thanked Halo and F1 on her Instagram as she detailed her injuries – which remarkably only appeared to be a sprained wrist.
Bustamante also said she would have lost her life if it wasn’t for Halo.
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Grant said on Instagram: “Hello everyone, I’m just letting you know that I’m okay after my race one incident.
“Thank you to everyone that’s been sending me really lovely messages. I really appreciate it.
“I’m very grateful for the Halo style system. Because of the Halo system I was able to get out without their being an issue with the fire because the fire was inside the car as well and I could see it.
“So without having the Halo there I would have been trapped and I’m very lucky and very grateful for the Halo style system to be put in place and for the F1 Academy to have it.”
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Bustamante also credited the technology with saving her life, saying: “Walked away from this one. She [Halo] kept me safe.
“Made 2 positions up in the start heading to T1, I was hit from behind and the car [Chloe Grant] flew on top of me. Tires went over my head but the Halo saved my life today.”
Bustamante’s incident was eerily similar to Lewis Hamilton’s crash with Max Verstappen at Monza in 2021 when Verstappen’s wheels dragged across the top of Hamiton’s cockpit.
Hamilton also credited the Halo system with saving his life, saying: “Honestly, I feel very, very fortunate. Thank God for the Halo. That ultimately saved me. And saved my neck.
“I feel incredibly blessed that someone was watching over me today.”
The Halo system is a titanium ring fitted around the cockpit of an F1 car designed to protect drivers from debris and collisions.
The system was brought into F1 in 2018 after huge pressure following French driver Jules Bianchi’s crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
The accident put Bianchi into a coma before he died nine months later.
The system has saved several drivers’ lives since its introduction, including Zhou Guanyu’s at last year’s Silverstone.
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Despite this, its introduction was initially controversial, with some arguing it marked the end of open cockpit racing in F1.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
