F1 Halo A God Send.

Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo, AGP.

    Why do sustained F1 championship challenges seem such a formidable demand to Ferrari? Last weekend's French GP saw Ferrari's Charles Leclerc slide helplessly into the barriers while seemingly controlling the race. Whether it was a tyre issue, gust of wind, white line slip, sticking throttle, driver error or combination there of is irrelevant, as it's not the first time this season Ferrari have squandered a win. Team mate Carlos Sainz due to exceeding his power unit quota was relegated to the back of the grid, charged through the field, only to have a 5 second penalty inflicted upon him for an unsafe release from the pitbox. Again he charged forward into a potential podium position only for Ferrari to pit him again. Many questioned Ferrari's wisdom in pitting Sainz as the consequence was no hope of a podium. Didn't anyone notice how badly blistered Sainz's front right tyre was? Couldn't you assume that his tyres would drop off the cliff or worse still, suffer a catastrophic failure before the chequered flag? After all, track and ambient temperatures were through the roof. Isn't the more pertinent question why was he released at his first pit stop into the path of Alex Albon's Williams in the first place? 
    Meanwhile Red Bull's Max Verstappen methodically and quietly keeps amassing wins and podiums. With this weekend's Hungarian GP standing before F1's summer break, Verstappen could well be on his way to back to back championships.       
   Another winner that keeps on quietly achieving great things and deserves fanfare, is F1's halo safety device. Cast your mind back a couple of races ago. An accident at the start of the British GP saw Alfa Romero's Zhou Guanyu involved in a horrific crash which saw him skidding upside down through the gravel trap, catapulting off the tyre barrier, finally resting sideways between the tyre barrier and catch fencing. The roll hoop failed and the only thing between Zhou's head and the track was the cockpit surrounding titanium halo. He escaped uninjured. Remember this wonderful safety device can take the equivalent weight of a London double decker bus. Many were sceptical at its inception in 2018, citing tradition and aesthetics, but there have been many instances of the halo reducing the level of injury or even life saving to date. At Spa in 2018, Fernando Alonso's McLaren vaulted over Charles Leclerc's Sauber  at the start. There's no doubt Romain Grosjean's fiery Bahrain crash in 2020 could have resulted in far worse consequences if it wasn't for the halo. Who can forget Max Verstappen's and Lewis Hamilton's infamous coming together at Monza last year at the height of their championship battle? Max's Red Bull brushed Lewis' head before it sat perched on his Mercedes. 
    Plaudits go out to the designers, manufacturers, the governing body and all involved in implementing the game changing halo safety device. Let's not see it in action for a while though.

    4 time champ and current Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel has announced his retirement at season's end. Debuting in 2007, he's driven for BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin. He sits third on the all time winners list with 53 victories to date. Congratulations on a stellar career.

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Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin, AGP.