Don't know about that one PonyRider. The F1 "halo" is a three-pronged device to protect the driver's head from the front and both sides. The Merc device just looks like a central bar that would only provide driver protection from the passenger side. Indy cars have a full wrap-around screen. Ayrton Senna ( 1994 ) and John Surtees' son Henry ( 2009 ) both died because the "halo" hadn't yet been invented. Surtees lobbied hard for head protection and died in 2017 before the the F1 "halo" was introduced in 2018. First photo is for an F1 Ferrari.