Any lingering doubts about the need for the Halo in Formula 1 have been squashed after a scary crash during a Formula 2 race at this past weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

The arguments about the introduction of the controversial cockpit device have pretty much died down since the start of the season with fans and drivers alike adjusting to its presence after being one of the hot topics in the build-up.

More recently, the only time it has been mentioned has been when F1 bosses integrated a new speedometer graphic during broadcasts in Azerbaijan and when Ferrari turned up in Barcelona last weekend with their mirrors mounted on either side.

However, an incident between Tadasuke Makino and Nirei Fukuzumi on Sunday was the first real-life example of the Halo being needed for what it was intended for, to protect the driver inside.

The pair came together at Turn 4 early during the Sprint race with Fukuzumi's car climbing over the top of that his fellow Japanese was driving taking both out of the race.

Though only a distant onboard camera was able to pick up the full incident, photos taken later clearly show where the bottom of the car had made contact with the Halo, likely avoiding contact with Makino's helmet.

It was numerous incidents such as this one that the FIA used as case studies when developing the Halo, as they are much more likely than the crash which led to the safety push in the first place, the devastating collision with a recovery vehicle that eventually killed Jules Bianchi in 2014.

And with much greater access to cameras than those used for broadcast, race director Charlie Whiting says a full evaluation of the role Halo played will now take place.

“One [car] got up over the other one. I couldn’t quite see how it happened, but when you look at the tyre marks on the bodywork behind and down the side of the Halo, where the tyre marks start on the Halo is exactly where one of the two test loads is applied,” he claimed.

“We will do an incident investigation on that. Judging by the photos we’ve seen and the accident itself of course, it looks very much as if it could have been a lot worse without Halo.

“Even if it didn’t actually save his life it could’ve been nasty without a Halo, judging by the track of the tyre marks,” he added.

Though alternatives like the windscreen being tested in IndyCar are considered more aesthetically pleasing, it's hard to think it would have done a better job than Halo as a safety device on this occasion.