Lewis Hamilton escaped death thanks to a device he refused to install in his car

If he could “talk” to young Lewis Hamilton, the British racer would have changed his mind sooner..

Lewis Hamilton thoát chết nhờ thiết bị anh từng từ chối lắp lên xe

Max Verstappen’s rear wheel pressed directly on Lewis Hamilton’s head but was stopped by the Halo protection system. Photo: F1

It is never too late to change perception. For Lewis Hamilton, he will be able to feel that is true after the incident that occurred at the F1 race in Italy.

If he could go back to 2016, the British driver would have told his younger self that Halo equipment is essential for Formula 1 today, regardless of appearance or risk.

When the F1 Racing Federation (FIA) began testing equipment designed to improve driver head protection, Hamilton fought against it, from both a design and risk perspective.

Ahead of the 2016 F1 season, Hamilton told reporters: “If it appears, I hope we can choose whether to use it or not, because I will not install it on my car.

I hope that’s not what they apply, I really do. Ultimately it’s about rider protection, so we should have our own choice. I like it the way it is and when I get in the car I know there are some risks.

Certainly safety is a very, very important issue, but there are risks that we accept and you have to decide how much risk you are going to accept. For me, I’d rather drive without it and take the risk.”

Halo được lắp đặt để bảo đảm an toàn cho các tay đua. Ảnh: Autosport

Halo is installed to ensure the safety of racers. Photo: Autosport

Changing attitudes

In fact, Hamilton is not the only one. Some other drivers also opposed the introduction of the Halo system, but just a few months later, Hamilton was gently persuaded.

At the 2016 Hungarian GP, Hamilton said: “I paid close attention to the great briefing we were presented with. I take safety very seriously and I think what’s interesting is that, even though it doesn’t look pretty and doesn’t have the spirit of racing, you can’t ignore the fact that, the chances of saving a rider’s life are higher. 17% of these incidents happened in the past.”

“I feel very, very lucky,” Hamilton said. Thank God for Halo which saved me and my neck. I’ve never been hit in the head by a car before. And that was quite a shock to me.

We take risks and it’s only when you go through something like that that you’re truly shocked at how you see life and how fragile we all are. If you look at the images of the accident, my head actually could have been injured worse than that in the cockpit.”