Despite initial criticism, the halo was praised by the community following two incidents where the halo was struck by another car—one in the Formula 2 race at Spain, where Tadasuke Makino's halo was landed on by fellow countryman Nirei Fukuzumi's car, and one in the Belgian Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc's halo was struck by Fernando Alonso's airborne McLaren, with both of their haloes showing visible damage from the impact. Both Makino and Leclerc credited the halo for possibly saving their lives, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who had criticised the halo earlier in the season, admitted that it had proved itself following Leclerc's incident.