The 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix provided shock with the terrible accident of French driver Romain Grosjean. A year later, we take a look back at the consequences.
29.11.2020, Bahrain International Circuit
Formula 1 is getting ready for the third to last race of the 2020 season. The Championship was signed by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and, once again, by the dominance of Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes, who conquered his seventh title in the precedent race in Turkey.
At the end of the grid, Haas is struggling to reach good results due to the lack of competitiveness of the car and the Ferrari power unit. Both Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean will leave the team (and Formula 1) at the end of the season.
At the end of the first lap, Romain Grosjean suffers a terrible impact of 67G and his VF-20 gets surrounded by the flames. The world of Formula 1 stops breathing.
Lucky in the bad luck, Romain doesn’t lose his senses, remains awake, and tries to escape.
Later on, he will describe the crash to Formula 1:
“I try to go up a bit more on the right, it doesn’t work, go on the left, doesn’t work so I sit back down and thought about Niki Lauda, his accident, thought it couldn’t end like this, it couldn’t be my last race, it couldn’t finish like this, no way, so I try again.”
“Then there’s the less pleasant moment where my body start to relax, I’m in peace with myself and I’m going to die.”
“Then I think about my kids, and I say ‘no they cannot lose their Dad today’. So I don’t know why I did what I did but I decided to turn my helmet on the left hand side and to go up like this and try and twist my shoulder, that sort of works, but then I realise my foot is stuck in the car so I sit back down, pull as hard as I can on my left leg, the shoe stayed where my foot was but my foot came out of the shoe, and then I do it again and the shoulders are going through and the time the shoulder was through I know I’m going to jump out.”
“I feel the pain, my hands are in the fire but also I feel the relief that I am out of the car, and then I jump out, go on the barrier, feel [Dr] Ian [Roberts] pulling on my overall so I know I am not on my own anymore and there is someone with me, I land and they touch on my back so I’m like ‘I am a running fireball’.”
27 seconds. Everything in 27 seconds.
Romain will remain in Bahrain’s Defence Force Hospital for three days, suffering severe burns in particular on his left hand. For the past year, the Frenchman continued the process of rehabilitation, with the latest surgery being held only three weeks ago. The scars will never fade as well as everyone’s memories from the horror crash.
A year later, we can only reflect on what Formula 1 and his fans must have learned from the accident.
Firstly, safety must always come first. The halo, the helmet, HANS and safety harness, the survival cell, seat, headrest all worked to save Romain’s life and, although some might not be aesthetically pleasing, safety can never be negotiated.
Secondly, 27 seconds is all that it can take to live or die. Hence, nothing can be left to the case. The probability to have an impact on that barrier was low but never zero. The circuit’s layout and protections must be cured with the utmost severity.
Thirdly, a hurtful reminder that motorsport is dangerous. Every driver that steps into the car is risking his life for the sport. In 2021 we had been lucky to assist one of the best challenges for the title in years but no matter who you are rooting for the Championship’s victory, each of the 20 drivers on the F1 grid (as well as every driver in every other category) deserves some respect.
Finally, a positive message is sent from Romain Grosjean’s current success in IndyCar. Although Formula 1 might haven’t been too lucky for him, the Frenchman is back behind the wheel and having more fun than ever in the States, showing that fears are rational but we will need to live with them every day.
Headline Image: Formula 1