MX23RW : Friday, December 27 05:15:21| >> :600:592362:592362:

'Sceptical' Marko admits Halo saved Zhou's life

'Sceptical' Marko admits Halo saved Zhou's life
© Reuters
There is no longer any doubt that the cockpit protection innovation known as 'Halo' belongs in Formula 1.

There is no longer any doubt that the cockpit protection innovation known as 'Halo' belongs in Formula 1.

That is the view of none other than Dr Helmut Marko, the 79-year-old former Le Mans winner who is now the notoriously hard-hitting top Austrian official at Red Bull.

He admits to once being "sceptical" about Halo, as it threatens the delicate 'DNA' of the sport.

Former FIA president Jean Todt claims to have been vindicated in pushing so hard for Halo, commenting after Silverstone that he is "glad I followed my convictions" despite "strong opposition".

Marko says he, like millions of others around the world, was gravely concerned about Guanyu Zhou after the frightening lap 1 crash.

"We didn't see any detailed images for a long time which is usually a sign that something bad is going on," he told Servus TV. "But then we got the message that it wasn't so bad.

"You have to say that is really thanks to Halo. There's no way Zhou would have survived without it.

"But this also shows how well the FIA is developing safety."

However, he warned that Formula 1 should not overreact about the fact that only a thin spectator fence stopped Zhou's rolling car from hitting spectators.

"We can't speak of a sore point here as every crash is different," said Marko.

"The FIA reacts very quickly," he added. "What happened here will no longer happen in the foreseeable future.

"The statistics also show that, as the last fatal accident was in Suzuka where a driver slipped under the crane," said Marko, referring to Jules Bianci's ultimately fatal crash in 2015.

ID:489349:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect2231:
Written by
GMM F1

Click here for more stories about Helmut Marko

Click here for more stories about Red Bull

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Charles Leclerc pictured on July 3, 2022
Read Next:
Leclerc, Binotto deny tension after British GP
>
rhs 2.0


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!