Formula 1's existing safety measures "saved Fernando Alonso's life in a horrific crash on Sunday at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix but his escape has added a twist to the debate about proposed improvements to cockpit protection," according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS.
The Spaniard "clambered from his demolished McLaren after the high-speed crash with Mexican Esteban Gutierrez's Haas and later posted an Instagram photograph of himself holding the Melbourne Herald Sun bearing the front-page headline 'Luckiest Man Alive.'" But "some commentators said Alonso's crash and his escape raised questions over further Formula One safety plans which involve installing a cockpit 'halo' device to protect drivers against being struck on the head by debris and bouncing wheels." Some commentators expressed concern that "it might have been harder for Alonso to get quickly out of his car with the 'halo' in place." Former racer and Sky TV pundit Johnny Herbert said, "Would that halo have caused more problems of getting out of the car? Probably. It will be thought about properly for next year." Alonso was taken to the medical center for checks at Albert Park on Sunday after the collision with Gutierrez, "but was then released."
McLaren Chair Ron Dennis said, "I'm sure he's had his marbles rattled a little bit" (REUTERS, 3/21). The PA reported McLaren driver Jenson Button believes the halo device "would have helped" Alonso. Button: "He was upside down when he landed and if he had the halo it would have helped him. There was no need for him to get out in that situation. There’s more safety risk of things hitting our head than anything happening when the car’s upside down. With the halo he would have had less impact on his helmet" (PA, 3/21).
