Zhou Guanyu: what did F1 driver say about halo device after British GP horror crash - what is it?

Formula 1 returned to England over the weekend as Silverstone hosted a breathtaking contest that saw Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claim his first F1 victory.

A late safety car caused by Estaban Ocon retiring allowed the Spaniard to battle teammate Charles Leclerc on fresh tyres at the restart and take his first win on his 150th Grand Prix start.

Sainz finished ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, with the Brit taking the applause of his home crowd as he claimed his second straight podium and 13th at Silverstone - an all-time record at a single venue.

Meanwhile, Leclerc will be disappointed after he took P4 - despite leading for much of the race - while Championship leader Max Verstappen could only manage P7 after suffering damage to his car.

Mick Schumacher picked up his first points of F1 in P8, while Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen rounded off the top 10.

Despite an exciting day of racing, Sainz’ win was largely overshadowed by the drama that occured at the start of the race which resulted in Zhou Guanyu seeking medical treatment.

What happened to Zhou Guanyu?

Verstappen and Hamilton had both nailed their starts as the race began, however the red flags were soon raised after an incident at Turn 1.

Zhou Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo and George Russell’s Mercedes collided as they went round the first corner, causing them to fly off the track with Zhou flipping his career before smashing into the barriers at high speed.

The Brit immediately forfeited his opportunity to start the race as he ran over to help his fellow driver, while medics attempted to extract the 23-year-old from his car.

Zhou was eventually removed safety and taken to the medical centre for examination, where he was since been released having been declared fit.

What has Zhou Guanyu said?

After being released from the medical centre, the Chinese driver posted on his Twitter account a message saying: “I’m ok, all clear. Halo saved me today. Thanks everyone for your kind messages!”

Zhou’s replies were full of support, with many praising the importance of the halo in avoiding any further injury to the driver.

What have others said about the halo device?

Following his Silverstone victory, Sainz spoke on Zhou’s accident and expressed his relief at his condition.

“The fact he came out of it is crazy,” he said. “I find it incredible that you can come out of it. It just shows, we sometimes criticise the FIA but you have to give it to them how much they have been helping us.

After the race, Russell also tweeted about the incident.

He wrote: “It was horrible, in that position he was stuck there, nothing he could have done.

“We need to have a think to avoid a car being stuck in such a fine gap – the space between the barriers and the metal fence and he was just stuck in there, nowhere to go. Something to learn.”

What is the halo device?

The halo was introduced into F1 in the 2018 season and has been hugely important ever since, which was highlighted at Silverstone on two occassions yesterday.

The halo is a titanium structure, covered with carbon fibre, which sits above the cockpit of an F1 car - created to withstand huge impacts.

After IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died in 2015, there was an increased demand for greater cockpit protection in open-wheel racing, leading to the adoption of the halo device.

After it was initially rolled out on F1 cars, it has now become standard across all formulae.