In a season of technical strife and tension, Formula One united on Monday and saluted the sport's ruling body and its 'halo' device for saving two lives in horrific accidents during the British Grand Prix.
In a spectacular race won by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, Chinese rookie Zhou Guanyu survived a high-speed opening lap crash in which he was sent bouncing and scraping upside down across asphalt and gravel into the barriers.
His Alfa Romeo car was severely damaged, but the 23-year-old driver survived unhurt and conscious thanks to the once-controversial 'halo' cockpit protection device, made from titanium, which had earlier also saved the life of a Formula Two driver.
Zhou's remarkable survival, without a scratch, enabled the sport to push aside arguments over 'ground effect' technology, bumpy and porpoising cars and mid-season threats of looming rule changes in praise of something more important.
The 'halo' was pioneered by the International Motoring Federation (FIA), led by Charlie Whiting, the long-serving race director and safety delegate, who died suddenly at the Australian Grand Prix in 2019.
He overcame opposition from traditionalists, including seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff who wanted to retain the purity and danger of open cockpits.
Wolff said he wanted to "take a chain saw" to the device, introduced in 2018, but both men have since changed their views.
Before Sunday's stunning evidence, the 'halo' had helped save several other drivers from serious injury or worse in recent years including Charles Leclerc at the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix and Hamilton at last year's Italian event when he collided with title rival and eventual champion Max Verstappen.
At Silverstone, it was Zhou who escaped after being trapped in his car just seconds after the race had started as it landed on its side in the fencing at the 240-kph Abbey Curve.
"I'm ok, all clear," he tweeted. "Halo saved me today. Thanks everyone for your kind messages."