If you could rewind time and offer Massa a halo for that instance you know he would take it.
How would a halo of stopped a bolt going through? Maybe by pure luck it would have been straight down the middle and glanced off, but chances are it wouldn't have. It's designed to stop wheels and other large objects. The Halo is never going to protect the driver from Debris.
I'm not against it from a safety perspective, but suggesting it will protect against everything is just rubbish.