Formula One‘s governing body, the FIA, has proceeded with an investigation into the nasty accident that almost took the life of Haas team driver, Romain Grosjean, in last weekend’s race in Sakhir.
Grosjean’s Haas car split into two on impact, which resulted in a fire after a struggle with Turn 3 barriers on the opening lap.
The Frenchman spent several seconds in the inferno before barely managing to come out of the debris.
But with burning injuries to his hands, he was taken straight to hospital where emergency surgery was performed before he was allowed to go home with his family on Wednesday, after three nights spent on the hospital bed.
The FIA confirmed on Thursday that it was liaising with all parties involved, including the Haas F1 Team, the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GDPA), and the Formula 1 promoter to launch an investigation into the accident.
The FIA also claims that the investigation will “look at all areas including competitor safety devices such as the helmet, HANS, safety harness, protective clothing, survival cell, headrest, in-car extinguisher system, and the Halo frontal cockpit protection.
“Analysis will also include chassis integrity and the safety barrier performance for an impact of that energy and trajectory. It will also assess the role of the track marshals and medical intervention team.”
In a bid to reveal what happened during the accident in slow motion, data will be collected from the several video evidence available, including the high-speed camera planted in all F1 cars, which is capable of capturing 400 frames-per-second.
Grosjean’s accident was understood to have registered a force of 53G at a speed of 137mph. His in-car Accident Data Recorder will further reveal the speed and forces on his car, while his in-ear accelerometers (worn by every driver) will measure his head movement during and leading up to the crash.
Discoveries from the FIA’s investigation is expected to be published within the next two months.
FIA Safety Director Adam Baker said: “As with all serious accidents, we will analyze every aspect of this crash and collaborate with all parties involved.
“With so much data available in Formula 1, it allows us to accurately determine every element of what occurred and this work has already begun.
“We take this research very seriously and will follow a rigorous process to find out exactly what happened before proposing potential improvements.”
Scary, even scarier is what they may find.
Lucky escape tbh
Well, an investigation is warranted. That accident was horrific. Miracle the Haas team driver, Romain Grosjean wasn’t more seriously hurt. God watches over him.