F1 doctor recounts moment he helped save Romain Grosjean from fiery crash
CA, 01 Dec 2020
The Formula One doctor who helped rescue stricken Romain Grosjean says the Frenchman is recovering well, but there was a moment he feared the worse when he saw a "Hollywood" style fireball at the Bahrain Gand Prix on Sunday.
Grosjean, who is set to be discharged from hospital on Tuesday, limped away from his racecar with little more than burns to his hands and not a broken bone in his body.
But the car, ripped in half by the 53G impact, broke through the protective safety barrier lining the floodlit Sakhir track and burst into flames, in images evocative of a more dangerous era for Formula One.
Speaking from his hotel in Bahrain on Monday, Formula One medic Dr. Ian Roberts described the aftermath of the accident as "very nasty" but hailed the success of a variety of safety measures introduced in recent years.
"It is too early to say at the moment exactly how the halo behaved during the incident, but my gut feeling is that all of the safety measures that are on that car contributed to a positive outcome," said Roberts
The death last year of Formula Two racer Anthoine Hubert at the Belgian Grand Prix was the first driver fatality at a Formula One race weekend since Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger were killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Jules Bianchi suffered serious head injuries in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix in October 2014, dying from them in July the following year.
Formula One, in 2018, introduced the halo cockpit protection device to protect drivers' heads from large pieces of flying debris such as loose wheels.
On Sunday it was universally credited, including by Grosjean who was initially against its introduction, with saving his life.
The Frenchman, a father of three who is out of a drive and set to leave Formula One next year, was also protected by a new specification of fireproof overalls introduced this year which keep drivers safe for longer.
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Grosjean, who is set to be discharged from hospital on Tuesday, limped away from his racecar with little more than burns to his hands and not a broken bone in his body.
But the car, ripped in half by the 53G impact, broke through the protective safety barrier lining the floodlit Sakhir track and burst into flames, in images evocative of a more dangerous era for Formula One.
Speaking from his hotel in Bahrain on Monday, Formula One medic Dr. Ian Roberts described the aftermath of the accident as "very nasty" but hailed the success of a variety of safety measures introduced in recent years.
"It is too early to say at the moment exactly how the halo behaved during the incident, but my gut feeling is that all of the safety measures that are on that car contributed to a positive outcome," said Roberts
The death last year of Formula Two racer Anthoine Hubert at the Belgian Grand Prix was the first driver fatality at a Formula One race weekend since Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger were killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Jules Bianchi suffered serious head injuries in a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix in October 2014, dying from them in July the following year.
Formula One, in 2018, introduced the halo cockpit protection device to protect drivers' heads from large pieces of flying debris such as loose wheels.
On Sunday it was universally credited, including by Grosjean who was initially against its introduction, with saving his life.
The Frenchman, a father of three who is out of a drive and set to leave Formula One next year, was also protected by a new specification of fireproof overalls introduced this year which keep drivers safe for longer.
For more info, please go to http://www.globalnews.ca
Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc
Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ
Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt
Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB
#FormulaOne #Race #RomainGrosjean #GlobalNews
