Formula One will conduct a thorough investigation of Romain Grosjean’s crash at the Brahain Grand Prix.
Grosjean had a miraculous escape from a fiery crash which split his Haas car in two pieces and destroyed a barrier. The French driver said the Halo device, placed on Formula One cars in 2018, had saved his life.
F1 managing director Ross Brawn praised the safety measures taken in recent years but said he was still concerned by the nature of the accident.
« We have to do a very deep analysis of all the events that occurred, because there were a number of things that should not have happened, » Brawn said. « The fire was worrying, the split in the barrier was worrying.
« I think the positives are the safety of the car. That is what got us through today. There is no doubt because barriers splitting was a classic problem many years ago. Normally it resulted in a fatality. »
Brawn said racing’s governing body, the FIA, deserves praise for forcing the Halo through despite opposition – in the video from his hospital bed, Grosjean said he himself had been opposed to the Halo at the time but now believes it to be F1’s « greatest » achievement.
« There is absolutely no doubt that the Halo was a factor that saved the day. As you will recall there was quite a lot of controversy about introducing it. I don’t think anyone now, especially after today, can doubt the validity of that and the value of it. So hats off to everyone involved because it was a lifesaver today. »
Grosjean has remained in hospital overnight for treatment to burns sustained on both hands. He was visited by Haas boss Guenther Steiner on Monday morning and is expected to be discharged on Tuesday.
He avoided any fractures or other injuries in the accident.
It is yet to be confirmed whether Grosjean will be able to race in F1’s next race, a follow-up event at the Bahrain circuit this coming Sunday.
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/30420365/f1-conduct-deep-analysis-grosjean-crash
