Halo protects Leclerc as Alonso goes over the top

Formula One F1 - Belgian Grand Prix - Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium - August 26, 2018. McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Sauber's Charles Leclerc crash at the first corner. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (Reuters) - Formula One breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday after the sport's new 'halo' head protection device saved Charles Leclerc from what might have been a potentially serious impact.

His Sauber car bore the scars instead, tyre marks showing where Fernando Alonso's McLaren had bashed against the bodywork and halo as it flew over the 20-year-old Monegasque rookie's head.