Zhou Guaynu took to social media to declare the halo "saved him" after an opening-lap crash George Russell described as "horrific" at the British Grand Prix.
On the first lap at Silverstone, the rookie's Alfa Romeo flipped upside down and skidded across the track before flipping into the catch fencing in front of thousands of stunned - and frankly, concerned - fans. Zhou was travelling at approximately 160mph at Abbey corner when Russell clipped the back of his car.
The Chinese star flipped onto his roof and slid out of control across the gravel. He continued through the gravel until he spectacularly flipped over the tyre barriers into the catch in the horrific moment.
After an agonising wait, Alfa Romeo confirmed the driver was "conscious and talkative" following medical treatment as the FIA team extracted him from the wreckage. Zhou took to social media to praise the halo safety device which was implemented ahead of the 2018 season.
"I'm OK, all clear," the 23-year-old wrote on Twitter. "Halo saved me today. Thanks everyone for your kind messages!"
Nearby fans and photographers had to duck for cover as the Alfa Romeo hurtled towards them, with Zhou's car resting on its side between the tyre wall and the fencing. An extraction team quickly attended to Zhou and he was carefully removed and taken away in an ambulance to the medical centre.
Russell was also seen dashing to check on his friend and Williams driver Alex Albon, who was also caught up in the accident before the Mercedes star checked on Zhou. Speaking to Sky Sports, Russell lamented the rules as he was unable to continue his race.
"I'm glad to see Zhou okay. It was an horrific incident," Russell said. "I jumped out of the car to see that Zhou was ok. When got back to the car I couldn't restart it. As soon as you get outside assistance you cannot restart the race."
A radio message from Alfa Romeo to Zhou's teammate Valtteri Bottas said: "Zhou is conscious. He is talking. There are no fractures, and considering the circumstances, he is pretty good, pretty well."
Was Zhou Guanyu's crashes one of the biggest you've ever seen in F1? Let us know in the comments section.
AlpaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine star Esteban Ocon were also involved in the incident at the start of Sunday's race, with both drivers managing to return to the pits for repairs to take part in the restart. Albon was transferred to a nearby hospital while Zhou took part in a number of observations at Silverstone's medical centre.
An FIA spokesperson said: "Two drivers involved in the incident at the start of the race were checked in the medical centre. There were no major injuries.
"The driver of car 24 (Zhou) is under observation in the medical centre. The driver of car 23 (Albon) will be transferred by helicopter to Coventry Hospital for precautionary checks. The driver of car 63 (Russell) was checked by medical staff and was declared fit."
The 22-race F1 2022 campaign continues with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 10.
