Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton was lucky to escape serious injury in the opening moments of the United States Grand Prix Sprint Race this past weekend, as his Ferrari was struck by a hefty chunk of debris. The US Grand Prix Sprint Race provided first corner chaos as four cars made contact, including championship contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg's initial contact was the first incident in a chain reaction that also claimed the aforementioned Norris and also Fernando Alonso as part of the collateral damage. As cars spun and collided across the wide first turn of the Circuit of the Americas, shards of carbon fibre were sent careening across the track. A huge piece was propelled directly at Hamilton's helmet, but once again, the titanium Halo was on hand to deflect the debris away from the British driver. Hamilton and his Ferrari emerged from the melee undamaged, claiming fourth place in the Saturday Sprint. With both McLarens wiped out in the four-car crash, reigning champion Max Verstappen was able to calmly claim the win. It was a feat that would be repeated in the Sunday race. The Dutchman once again romped to victory to close the gap to Piastri and Norris, while Hamilton earned another respectable fourth place finish. "It was pretty wild into Turn 1," Hamilton revealed during an interview with Sky Sports F1 after the sprint race. "I managed to avoid the drama at Turn 1, just. I didn’t position my car particularly well. "I saw Alonso on the inside, so I went a bit to the right and left the door open to Charles. Lots of improvement still to be made. Otherwise, the start was good." Halo's Importance to Formula 1 Shown Once Again Considering how many potentially lifesaving interventions the Halo has made since its introduction to Formula One in 2018, it's hard to believe that so many drivers and analysts were critical of the safety measure at the time. Most notable among them was Romain Grosjean's horror crash in Bahrain in 2020. Grosjean crashed into a steel barrier on the opening lap, causing his car to burst into flames instantly. The Halo prevented his head from hitting that same steel barrier, before he miraculously escaped the inferno. As for Hamilton, this is the second time he can say that the Halo saved his life. During the 2021 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, an incident with title rival Max Verstappen caused the Dutch driver's Red Bull to launch into the air, landing on top of Hamilton's car. Verstappen's vehicle landed directly on top of Hamilton's cockpit, with the Halo absorbing the majority of the impact. "I feel very, very fortunate today," Hamilton said in an interview after the race at Monza. "Thank God for the Halo. That ultimately saved me. And saved my neck." Hamilton's team principal at the time, Toto Wolff, also acknowledged the importance of the Halo in the incident. "The Halo definitely saved Lewis’ life today," he said. "It would have been a horrible accident that I don’t even want to think about if we didn’t have the Halo."
