Fernando Alonso said "we don't need to ask whether Halo is a good thing" following his huge crash on the opening lap of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.

Alonso's McLaren was sent spinning in the air following a shunt from behind by Nico Hulkenberg, his car threatening to land on the Sauber of Charles Leclerc as it came to rest.

One of Alonso's wheels made contact with Leclerc's Halo - the cockpit protection device introduced for 2018 that divided opinion before it was brought in.

But the Halo came through its biggest real-world test to date in Spa, with Leclerc walking away unharmed from a crash that could otherwise have left him seriously hurt.

"The Halo was a very good thing to have today," Alonso was quoted as saying by BBC Sport after the crash.

"I think for [Leclerc] it helped, looking at the halo. We don't need to ask whether it is a good thing."

Discussing Hulkenberg, whose complete lock-up initiated the chaos, Alonso added: "It is tough to understand how you can miss the braking so much."