You can argue it was a freak accident, perhaps never likely to be witnessed again, but then it was the same with Bianchi when his Marussia collided with a recovery vehicle at a particular angle during the rain-hit race that day at Suzuka. A perfect storm of factors naturally combined that resulted in the barrier failing. Questions were immediately raised about the effectiveness of the guardrail that was unfathomably pierced by the Haas. While the world of F1 was able to breathe an enormous sigh of relief when Grosjean could be seen through the flames before clambering over a barrier to safety, the sport and its governing body, the FIA, will not rest on any laurels. And then there was the response of Roberts and Van der Merwe, along with the marshals who reacted swiftly and heroically despite their own lives being in danger. Additionally, there were the fireproofs worn by Grosjean that must withstand temperatures of 800 degrees Celsius, resist ignition for 10 seconds and limit the inside to no more than 41 degrees Celsius for 11 seconds. There were many other factors that contributed to Grosjean's survival, including work over the years with regard to driver extraction as the regulations require teams to design their cars to make it possible for a five-second exit, while tests are conducted prior to the start of every season. Giving thanks to the halo, which is made of grade five titanium and extensively used in the aerospace industry, Grosjean said: "I wasn't for the halo some years ago but I think it's the greatest thing we've brought to Formula 1 and without it, I wouldn't be able to speak to you." Grosjean conceded that at one stage during his accident and the interminable 28 seconds that was required to extract himself from his car he "saw death", but that it "wasn't my time". From its introduction, it has taken an additional three years to prove itself a worthy addition to the roll call of safety innovation that has filtered into F1 over the past 25 years. Without it, it does not require too much imagination to appreciate what the outcome would have been.Īfter sustaining nothing more than burns to the backs of his hands and a sprained left ankle, Grosjean was later able to give thanks to a device it has to be remembered was devised following the accident in the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix that eventually claimed the life of Jules Bianchi.įrom that awful moment on, it was effectively three years in the making. The force and angle of the collision was such that the front half of the car sliced through the barrier, with the halo protecting the head of the 34-year-old Frenchman as it did so. The images that emerged in the wake of one of the worst accidents witnessed in F1 in recent times will never be forgotten – from the instantaneous fireball that erupted as Grosjean's Haas struck the barrier, his emergence from the flames, the heroics of FIA medical car duo Dr Ian Roberts and Alan van der Merwe and the track marshals, to the post-apocalyptic remnants of the Frenchman's car.
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