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Accidents are part of Formula 1. It is part of this dangerous sport. In Bahrain, however, the most dramatic accident occurred in many years, since Jules Bianchi’s accident at Suzuka in October 2014, which ultimately ended in death. Despite the disturbing images, Romain Grosjean’s accident was relatively mild. The Frenchman crashed into a railing at the exit of the third corner after a collision with Daniil Kwyat, his Haas split in two and exploding in a huge fireball. At the hospital, doctors diagnosed second-degree burns to his hands. Suspicion of a broken rib and two broken toes was not confirmed. Grosjean remains in the hospital overnight, from where he reached out to fans on social media:
Anyone who has seen the footage of the accident wonders how Grosjean was able to save himself from his racing car with such minor injuries. Safety measures in Formula 1 have been gradually improved over the past years and decades. This was the benefit of the 34-year-old driver, who as vice president of the GPDA drivers union is committed to safety in Formula 1.
First of all, there is the originally controversial introduction of the Halo system after the Bianchi accident: the head protection, which was criticized mainly for aesthetic reasons, saved Grosjean when the front of the car went through the opening railing. Sky expert Ralf Schumacher said: “Thanks to Halo. Without Halo, the pilot would have been beheaded here. “During the race, French TV commentator Julien Febreau is said to have received a message from Bianchi’s mother:” What caused my son’s death has now saved his friend Romain. “
Security systems work
RTL expert Christian Danner pointed out other points: the increasingly stable roll bars and, above all, the extremely rigid monocoque cells. This is the chassis made of carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb, which absorbs high forces in the event of a collision. In the case of the Haas pilot, the car was split into two parts by the unprotected railing, but the actual survival cell withstood the impact.
The strong development of the fire was unusual. “Because the entire rear section was cut off, the tank bladder was completely exposed,” said former F1 designer and now television expert Gary Anderson. “Plus, high-voltage batteries are also located in this region of the car – of course that’s a critical combination.”
There are also reasons why the fire did not have catastrophic consequences, although Grosjean was exposed to the flames for a total of 27 seconds before he could free himself from the car and step over the guardrail to safety: Demands on the monkey increased over time. increased further, most recently again before the start of this season, when an additional layer of refractory material became mandatory.
Marshals with fire extinguishers and racing medic Ian Roberts, in the medical car driven by former racing driver Alan van der Merwe, arrived very quickly. Haas team leader Günther Steiner praised the assistants: “When they see something like this, they just hope they got lucky. You are afraid if you do not see if it is outside the car. The Fia and the Marshalls did a great job. “
Van der Merve was initially shocked by the scene before his eyes: “That was a big surprise for us too,” said the South African. “In twelve years of Formula 1, I have not seen a fire or an accident as big as this. It took him a moment to realize what was happening. I’m sure it was only for a second or so, but it felt like an eternity. And then Romain was released, which is quite incredible after such an accident. “Van der Merwe emphasized:” We were relieved when we came back and saw that he was largely fine. It shows that all the safety systems that were developed worked – the halo, the seat belts – everything worked as it should. Without one of these things, it could have turned out very differently. “
Grosjean was able to break free
Many happy circumstances came together. The accident could have been fatal, despite the safety systems in place, if Grosjean had lost consciousness. So he was able to free himself and none of the sheriffs had to unbuckle their seatbelt and pull Grosjean out of the fire. That probably would have taken a lot longer. Which also plays a role here: the Fia global association requirement that the driver, despite the Halo, must always be able to get out of the car in seven seconds. What is practiced regularly and is also checked.
However, Formula 1 and the Fia will have to ask themselves two questions: Why was there an unprotected guardrail at this point at this angle of the track? Why was there no protection against tire piles or the plastic elements specially developed for such purposes, the so-called TecPro barriers?
There was no discussion as to whether the race would resume at all: despite the dramatic footage: Grosjean was saved with injuries that were not too serious, track safety was restored, perhaps even slightly improved when the destroyed guardrail was replaced by elements of concrete. has been. And even if the drivers looked at the television footage over and over during the hour-long break with a mixture of horror at the accident and relief at the mild outcome: it was normal for them to continue. “When I get in the car, I know I’m taking risks,” said world champion Lewis Hamilton. “But I hope this is a wake-up call for everyone that this sport is still very dangerous. It could have turned out a lot worse. “
