[imagesource: F1 TV]

High-speed Formula One crashes are par for the course, but even hardened fans of the motorsport would have feared the worst after seeing Romain Grosjean’s crash during yesterday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

The 34-year-old Frenchman slid off the track on the first lap of the race, with his vehicle ripping in two and catching alight.

According to an FIA spokesperson, reports Sky News, the impact of Grosjean’s crash was measured at 53G:

Replays showed the driver leaping over the barriers and away from the flaming wreckage of his car before he was helped to a waiting ambulance.

The accident was triggered when Grosjean swerved across the front of Daniil Kvyat, making contact with his AlphaTauri.

The official F1 channel has put this video together, showing the crash and aftermath from various angles, but you’ll have to click ‘Watch this video on YouTube’ below to be redirected:

Here’s another video compilation, showing the moment of the crash, and the swift rescue actions that followed:

Grosjean escaped with second-degree burns to his hands, and relatively minor injuries (we’ll hear from him in a moment), which is testimony to the increased safety measures implemented in recent years.

This from the Guardian:

…his head was protected by the halo cockpit protection device made mandatory by the FIA in 2018…

Ross Brawn, F1’s director of motorsport, was unequivocal that the halo, which had been criticised when first imposed, had been instrumental in saving Grosjean’s life. “The positive was the safety of the car and that is what got us through today,” said Brawn. “The barrier splitting was a problem many years ago and it normally resulted in a fatality; there is no doubt that the halo saved the day. The team behind it deserve credit for forcing it through. After today no one can doubt the validity of that, it was a life saver.”

The video below takes a closer look at how the halo works. Again, you’ll have to be redirected:

Thankfully, Grosjean was also well enough to record a video, posted to his Instagram account:

You can see his full Instagram post below:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Romain Grosjean (@grosjeanromain)

Whilst the halo certainly earned his stripes, it wasn’t the only factor that played a role in Grosjean’s survival.

His fireproof suit, as well as the cockpit survival cell, proved important, and then there were the swift actions of those who arrived on the scene first.

One of those first on the scene was South African race car driver Alan van der Merwe, who currently drives the Formula One medical car, often referred to as the fastest ambulance in the world.

During the first lap of each race, van der Merwe and Dr Ian Roberts drive behind the field, with crashes and incidents often occurring soon after the race begins.

He was singled out by the Haas F1 team, which Grosjean drives for:

Thank you to Medical Car driver Alan van der Merwe, the circuit medical team and marshals for their quick thinking and actions in getting to Romain so soon after the accident 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hkUChcweeq

— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) November 29, 2020

More on van der Merwe via The Sportsrush:

van der Merve is a Formula Ford Festival and British Formula 3 champion and has been a test driver for the BAR-Honda’s test driver team. He has also raced in the A1 series for South Africa, finishing seventh in New Zealand.

After saving Romain Grosjean’s life, he was asked for his reactions. He seemed shocked, despite the insanely difficult task he has undertaken for over a decade now.

“It was a big surprise. I have never seen that much fire in 12 years. Romain got out of the car himself, which is pretty amazing after an accident like that. All the systems we have worked to develop, everything worked hand-in-hand: the halo, the barriers, the seat-belt. Everything worked. Without just one of those things working, it could have been a very different outcome.”

Thankfully, the worst-case scenario was avoided.

The fact that Lewis Hamilton won, again, was relegated to secondary billing, but his domination this year is quite something to behold.

He leads the driver standings with 332 points, with fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas in second on 201 points.

[sources:skynews&guardian&sportsrush]