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Romain Grosjean will be released from the hospital on Tuesday after escaping a life-threatening accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Haas driver has been thoroughly examined, but only suffered burns to his hands after the car burst into flames.
To ensure a proper recovery, Grosjean will be replaced at the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain next weekend by his reserve and test driver Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time Brazilian world champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
Grosjean’s accident on the first lap occurred when he hit a wheel of Daniil Kvyat’s car and swerved into the track-side armco barriers at 137 mph. The impact was measured at 53G and caused his car to split in half. The front, including the French in the cockpit, broke through the barriers and was engulfed in a ball of fire. Grosjean was in the car in the middle of the flames for nearly 20 seconds before getting out and getting to safety.
“After it was decided that the best thing for Romain was to skip at least one race, the choice to put Pietro in the car was quite easy,” said team principal Guenther Steiner. “Pietro will drive the VF-20 and he knows we have been in the team. It’s the right thing to do and it’s obviously a good opportunity for him. He has been patient and always prepared for this opportunity, and now it has come. That’s why we want him in the car and I’m sure he’ll do a good job. “
The Brazilian tested Haas cars in 2018 and 2019, but this will be his first competitive outing in Formula One. Haas has left Grosjean for the 2021 season, but has yet to announce his replacement, and Michael’s son is expected. Schumacher, Mick, get a boost.
F1 has also responded to criticism from Daniel Ricciardo about the way the crash was repeatedly broadcast after it was confirmed that Grosjean was safe. The Australian driver described it as “something from Hollywood.”
“I am disgusted and disappointed in Formula One for showing or choosing how to show it as they did,” he said. “They broadcast replay after replay after replay of the fire, and their car broke in half and then, as if that wasn’t enough, they went on board.”
However, an F1 spokesperson said they followed well-established protocols. “F1 is not about entertainment and some procedures and protocols are put in place before the decision to execute a response is made,” he said.
“No images are displayed until the driver is confirmed okay. On this occasion, at this point, F1 showed Romain with the ambulance, without a helmet and walking with help. Replays of an accident are not shown until there is approval and confirmation from race control / FIA that everyone is safe: driver, marshals and doctors. Then the repetitions began.
“The context of what a viewer sees and hears with the commentary is important as they talk about Romain’s safety, the halo, the FIA safety enhancements and the medical center updates. There is a constant dialogue between F1, the FIA, the control of the race and good judgment about the spectators, the families and those affected. “
Grosjean’s escape was well received as a testament to F1’s quest for safety, especially the mandatory use of the halo cockpit protection device that almost certainly saved the Frenchman’s life when his car broke through metal barriers. However, the incident has still raised serious problems.
The barriers are designed to absorb impact energy in the process of diverting a car into the runoff area. That Grosjean’s passed was a major concern, as was the ensuing fire, a hazard believed to have largely been eliminated from F1 cars. The last time one caught fire in an accident was in Imola in 1989.
The FIA is launching an investigation and the race director, Michael Masi, will be comprehensive and will include all parties involved. “With every incident, but even more so with every major incident, the FIA security department leads the investigation,” he said. “The single-seater department, of which F1 is a part from a technical perspective, has a stake. F1 teams and technical directors will participate. The circuits commission will be involved in the safety of the circuits.
“All the various parts of the FIA group as a whole and all the respective experts in the field will really look at this particular area and see what can be learned, what can be improved.”
