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A car split in two, a huge fireball, and there was no driver in sight. An anxious few seconds passed before Romain Grosjean stepped out of his fiery Haas after his serious crash at the Bahrain GP and gave a sign of life.
The Frenchman’s accident was one of the worst in Formula 1 in recent years and was reminiscent of the nasty fires of earlier times, which, as is well known, once affected Austrians Niki Lauda and Gerhard Berger. Grosjean, a Geneva-born Frenchman, was a childhood friend of his compatriot Jules Bianchi, who died in 2015, who suffered serious head injuries in an accident in Japan with a recovery crane in 2014 and died in a coma several months later.
Many say that Grosjean survived his accident with only minor injuries, bordering on a miracle. The protection of the “Halo” cockpit, the fire-retardant racing suit and the quick intervention of rescue personnel ensured that there was no disaster in Sakhir.
“Five years ago, a driver would not have survived an accident like this. Hitting a railing forward, going through it, catching fire and then jumping out of the car is incredible,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, praising the team. FIA. and the work that has been done “over the last 25, 30 years.”
Alexander Wurz, President of the GPDA Drivers Union and ORF expert, also said: “The fact that a driver gets out of the car in such an accident is amazing. Cars have improved dramatically. And it must be said that all the safety precautions that the monocoque goes through, from the frontal impact protection to the halo, everything here has saved lives. “
Grosjean: “I wasn’t in favor of Halo, but …”
Grosjean himself, with bandaged hands, sent greetings from his sickbed that Sunday night and thanked everyone who had sent him messages. “I was not in favor of the Halo a few years ago, but it is the best of Formula One,” he said.
Even the mother of Jules Bianchi, mortally wounded, reported to the French television channel “Canal +” after the Grosjean accident: “You introduced the Halo after the death of my son, now the Halo has saved Romain’s life . That’s great”.
“The halo must have saved Grosjean’s life.”
“The halo must have saved Grosjean’s life” Ross Brawn, Formula 1 sporting director convinced. The initially controversial ring-shaped head protection made of titanium over the driver’s cell has been mandatory in Formula 1 since 2018.
Halo is English and translated means halo. It is a titanium bar weighing about seven kilograms, which is stretched in a ring above the driver’s head in the cockpit and held in the middle with a strut. According to the FIA, the “halo” has to support the weight of two African elephants (about twelve tons for two males) and a full suitcase that shoots at 225 km / h.
Toto Wolff: “The accident is comparable to that of Niki Lauda”
“I don’t want to think about how this accident would have ended a few years ago,” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said thoughtfully. The accident is comparable to that of Niki Lauda at the Nürburgring. Lauda’s car also broke in two at the time.
“What made it that much more shocking this time, though, is that the monohull is stuck in the railings,” said Wolff. “You don’t like to imagine if we didn’t have a halo, or if he passed out, or if there wasn’t room to get out of the car.”
The winner of the race, Lewis Hamilton, was horrified and relieved at the same time. “I am infinitely grateful that the railing did not behead him. It could have all turned out much, much worse.”
Former world champion Damon Hill put it in a nutshell: “It’s a miracle he’s still alive. We haven’t seen anything like this since Gerhard’s accident at Imola,” recalled the Briton of the 1989 Tyrolean fire in a Ferrari.
Review: “Dthe railing shouldn’t fail like this “
And while everyone agrees that Halo & Co. saved Grosjean’s life, there was also criticism after the accident.
“The guardrail shouldn’t fail like this and the car shouldn’t catch fire like this.”
“It’s good that the cars are safer than they used to be, but the guardrail shouldn’t fail and the car shouldn’t catch fire,” said Sebastian Vettel of “Sky”. “A lot of measures have been taken to prevent it from catching fire, so I don’t know what happened there.”
Wolff spoke of a “strange accident” but also said: “The angle must have been so precise, like a knife that cuts. I don’t think modern barriers should be divided like this. We have to analyze that.”
Formula 1 sporting director Ross Brawn announced an investigation into the crash on Sunday. The focus is on the questionhow the monocoque was able to pierce the railings and the car caught fire.
Brawn – a lot of research from now until next race
“It’s shocking to see such a violent accident. We are not used to it anymore, including the fire,” Brawn said. “Things have happened that shouldn’t have happened,” said Brawn, who announced a comprehensive review. “There will be a lot of research between now and the next race. I am sure we will act accordingly.”
According to race director Michael Masi, the large force of the impact, which should have been up to 50 G, ensured that the guardrail could no longer withstand the forces. “There is only a certain amount of energy it can support. The mass of energy has to go somewhere.”
After the terrible accident, Alexander Wurz recalled prophecies of doom, according to which Formula 1 had been “absolutely safe” for a long time and such violent accidents had long been considered unthinkable. When it comes to safety, one should never be satisfied and never rest, the Austrian emphasized.
After his 11th win of the season, world champion Hamilton also spoke of the fact that the accident was a “powerful reminder” of how dangerous Formula 1 could be. The premier class of motorsport must continue on safety issues. “We must not stop where we are,” demanded Hamilton. “We have to try to keep doing better. That’s what makes this sport so great.”
Text as: © LAOLA1.at
Formula 1: Grosjean crash in Bahrain
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