Roman Grosjean

[Pune]

Wow, I've seen a lot of F.1. accidents over the years but todays was terrifying, how Roman walked away from that is beyond me.
Having the front half of the car go through the Armco and he survived, the HALO did it's job...
The crews on scene were brilliant, here's to a swift recovery..

[plmc135]

He isn't a roman soldier his first name is Romain.

[jimbo]

Wow, I've seen a lot of F.1. accidents over the years but todays was terrifying, how Roman walked away from that is beyond me.
Having the front half of the car go through the Armco and he survived, the HALO did it's job...
The crews on scene were brilliant, here's to a swift recovery..

One hundred percent agree, no matter how you spell his name, he had his angel with him today. How brave were the medical car team, running towards an inferno, knowing there were 100kgs of fuel in there and lithium batteries.

[Pune]

He isn't a roman soldier his first name is Romain.

Well pardon me..

[Pune]

Wow, I've seen a lot of F.1. accidents over the years but todays was terrifying, how Roman walked away from that is beyond me.
Having the front half of the car go through the Armco and he survived, the HALO did it's job...
The crews on scene were brilliant, here's to a swift recovery..

One hundred percent agree, no matter how you spell his name, he had his angel with him today. How brave were the medical car team, running towards an inferno, knowing there were 100kgs of fuel in there and lithium batteries.

Thanks jimbo, thankful he is safe as are the safety/medical teams..

[raptor9]

Had a non-alcoholic beer tonight, and saluted the chassis designers, marshals, and the medical team. Fire can never be ruled out, although the last serious F.1 crash fire was many years ago at Imola with Gerhard Berger's Ferrari. Problem is, had Romain been knocked out, the result would have been very different. In the old days, following various reviews, a silver-suited and helmeted fire marshal was present at most posts. They were very cumbersome, and very very hot. The marshal wearing one at Brands Hatch when Jo Siffert had his accident was unable to get close to the car, with the inevitable result. It was then decided that the most important thing was to extinguish the fire, before attempting rescue, so the silver suits were dispensed with. Looking at todays hugely fortunate escape, questions must be raised as to whether more dedicated fire trucks with much more capacity for dowsing flames needs to be [a] more numerous], and have instant track access. Massive kudos to everyone involved in reaction to this accident. Like Pune, I have been to many F.1 G.P,s here and abroad, and seen many accidents. They don't get scarier than this one!.

[Pune]

Had a non-alcoholic beer tonight, and saluted the chassis designers, marshals, and the medical team. Fire can never be ruled out, although the last serious F.1 crash fire was many years ago at Imola Gerhard Berger's Ferrari. Problem is, had Romain been knocked out, the result would have been very different. In the old days, following various reviews, a silver-suited and helmeted fire marshal was present at most posts. They were very cumbersome, and very very hot. The marshal wearing one at Brands Hatch when Jo Siffert had his accident was unable to get close to the car, with the inevitable result. It was then decided that the most important thing was to extinguish the fire, before attempting rescue, so the silver suits were dispensed with. Looking at todays hugely fortunate escape, questions must be raised as to whether more dedicated fire trucks with much more capacity for dowsing flames needs to be [a] more numerous], and have instant track access. Massive kudos to everyone involved in reaction to this accident. Like Pune, I have been to many F.1 G.P,s here and abroad, and seen many accidents. They don't get scarier than this one!.

I couldn't have put it better.

[slogen51]

Wow! Just watching the highlights. He is a very lucky man to be still alive. The weight of the g force from the sudden stop must of been incredible.

The halo safety system has saved another life.

Amazing reactions from the marshalls one of whom was moving towards the fireball within two or three seconds.

[raptor9]

Back in the day, Silverstone converted a Jaguar XJ6 into a dedicated fire engine, with large tanks of retardant and trained personnel as crew. It followed the first lap of every race, even at club events. [I once filmed it spinning at Beckets!!] Perhaps this concept should be looked into again. Fighting a large fire with hand held extinguishers is a difficult way to deal with this. Indycar, in the U.S. uses dedicated fire trucks to attend serious incidents, and they are on scene very quickly. Incidentally, Formula cars breaking in half is nothing new. The rear of the car is simply connected by half a dozen bolts, and will separate from the tub if the forces are very great. All the rest of the car are different parts attached to the tub and the engine. There is no chassis as such behind the driver these days. I remember John Watson's Mclaren breaking in two at Monza in a barrier collision that was not too severe. Regular occurrence if you watch Indycar in the States.

[Pune]

Back in the day, Silverstone converted a Jaguar XJ6 into a dedicated fire engine, with large tanks of retardant and trained personnel as crew. It followed the first lap of every race, even at club events. [I once filmed it spinning at Beckets!!] Perhaps this concept should be looked into again. Fighting a large fire with hand held extinguishers is a difficult way to deal with this. Indycar, in the U.S. uses dedicated fire trucks to attend serious incidents, and they are on scene very quickly. Incidentally, Formula cars breaking in half is nothing new. The rear of the car is simply connected by half a dozen bolts, and will separate from the tub if the forces are very great. All the rest of the car are different parts attached to the tub and the engine. There is no chassis as such behind the driver these days. I remember John Watson's Mclaren breaking in two at Monza in a barrier collision that was not too severe. Regular occurrence if you watch Indycar in the States.

Ah yes, I remember that Jaguar, great idea, I would think there will be quite a debrief following yesterday, and about the Marshall crossing the track to Perez's car on fire, if my memory serves me well Peter Revson died after hitting a Marshall carrying an extinguisher in South Africa many years ago..

[raptor9]

Hi, Pune. It was Tom Pryce who was killed in S.A. hit by the extinguisher and the unfortunate marshal also died.. Revson died in a fiery crash also in S.A. in, I think, 1974, Hit the barrier, burst into flames. Regards, John.

[wdh]

Hitting the crash barriers at 137mph and experiencing 53g cant be the most pleasant experience. Thank goodness the halo was brought in. It has saved plenty of lives.

[Pune]

Hi, Pune. It was Tom Pryce who was killed in S.A. hit by the extinguisher and the unfortunate marshal also died.. Revson died in a fiery crash also in S.A. in, I think, 1974, Hit the barrier, burst into flames. Regards, John.

Hi John,
Thanks for the info', memory not what it used to be.
Tragic waste of lives.

Paul

[Challenger007]

Well, race cars are not made super durable because it will add weight to the car and slow it down in the race. Plus they are made in such a way that at the pit stops you can quickly replace the components. This implies quick dismantling. So when a car gets into a serious accident, it's a miracle that the driver survives.

[raptor9]

Challenger, I have to respectfully disagree with some of your comments. Modern Formula cars have Carbon Fibre Chassis, which are put through extremely severe crash testing to ensure their integrity in a crash. You are correct when you say the bits will fall off that are attached to it in a severe accident, but I think you will find that, in modern times, the Monocoque [spelling] tub has stayed intact whilst everything else falls off, which it is expected to do in the event of a serious crash. It is this strength of chassis that has ensured the survival of many drivers, including Romain Grosjean, because if you study the pictures of the accident, particularly the recovery after the crash, you will see that the chassis is STILL virtually intact. What kills drivers these days are sudden stops, involving massive 'G'loads, particularly from a side impact. How Romain survived a momentary 53 g is beyond my comprehension. Poor Antoine Hubert died at Spa last year in a massive impact from the side, yet his tub [chassis] remained intact, as did Manuel Correa's , who hit him. These crash tests, under the auspices of the F.!.A are very, very severe, and the chassis has to pass ALL tests before being allowed to compete. I have followed F.1 since 1960, and attended many G.P's here and abroad including 26 British Grand Prix in a row,!!, and, in modern times, I cannot recall a driver losing his life because of a chassis failure in an accident, because there haven't been any. Being hit by pieces of wreckage, certainly [Ayrton Senna} Jules Bianchi, hit a recovery vehicle. Head injury. No modern chassis failures, and I think it is much the same in Indycar in the States. Sudden stops, being hit by flying bits. Those are the biggest dangers to a driver's life, plus fire of course, but that is very rare thank goodness. So, not a miracle, but excellent engineering. Regards, John.

[plmc135]

Indycar have gone one stage further than F1 with their design of the halo. There is an infill on either side of the centre support which is glazed, not sure with what, that should aid even further to protect the driver from flying debris.

[raptor9]

Hi, PLMC. Yes seen them with that. Looks hideous, but if it saves lives, then I'm fine with that. Too late for Justin Wilson though. Always lessons to be learn't from near or actual tragedy. Regards John.

[Challenger007]

Challenger, I have to respectfully disagree with some of your comments. Modern Formula cars have Carbon Fibre Chassis, which are put through extremely severe crash testing to ensure their integrity in a crash. You are correct when you say the bits will fall off that are attached to it in a severe accident, but I think you will find that, in modern times, the Monocoque [spelling] tub has stayed intact whilst everything else falls off, which it is expected to do in the event of a serious crash. It is this strength of chassis that has ensured the survival of many drivers, including Romain Grosjean, because if you study the pictures of the accident, particularly the recovery after the crash, you will see that the chassis is STILL virtually intact. What kills drivers these days are sudden stops, involving massive 'G'loads, particularly from a side impact. How Romain survived a momentary 53 g is beyond my comprehension. Poor Antoine Hubert died at Spa last year in a massive impact from the side, yet his tub [chassis] remained intact, as did Manuel Correa's , who hit him. These crash tests, under the auspices of the F.!.A are very, very severe, and the chassis has to pass ALL tests before being allowed to compete. I have followed F.1 since 1960, and attended many G.P's here and abroad including 26 British Grand Prix in a row,!!, and, in modern times, I cannot recall a driver losing his life because of a chassis failure in an accident, because there haven't been any. Being hit by pieces of wreckage, certainly [Ayrton Senna} Jules Bianchi, hit a recovery vehicle. Head injury. No modern chassis failures, and I think it is much the same in Indycar in the States. Sudden stops, being hit by flying bits. Those are the biggest dangers to a driver's life, plus fire of course, but that is very rare thank goodness. So, not a miracle, but excellent engineering. Regards, John.

I have not studied the construction of racing cars in detail, but I know for sure that some parts fall off in an accident, as if it was not a car, but a designer. It's good that riders are protected by a strong and lightweight frame, but the strength of the rest is poor.

[roger4]

I have not studied the construction of racing cars in detail, but I know for sure that some parts fall off in an accident, as if it was not a car, but a designer. It's good that riders are protected by a strong and lightweight frame, but the strength of the rest is poor.

You are right - it is by design. The bits attached to the monocoque are required to break off first, and in doing so they absorb energy from the crash, acting as a crumple-zone. This is what Ross Brawn said when interviewed on Sky after the race.

[Skywatcher]

It really shocked me this accident,so so lucky is the or if not one of the worst motorsport crashes I have ever seen
This is a good over view by Jolyon Palmer (ex Renault F1 driver )
I’m still lost as to how the heck he managed to get out ‘ok’ ,watching it live I know I was visibly shaking just hoping he would be ok,it was a big relief to see him walk away from that Hass
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EyTeDaiUL6s
Slightly side tracked really enjoyed the opening race ,much better than previous openers and Sir Lewis still managed to win when the car on the day was not meant to be the fastest (everyone expecting RBR Max Verstappen to be in pole position based on winter test) ,hats off to Merc for that,that in my eyes is a champions drive,going to be a good season,bit too many races planned in my honest opinion,23 rounds ...
Also not so sure in the sprint race format but willing to try it and see how it goes good only three round try it ,Silverstone being one I forget the other two ,they did say...