Had it not have been for the Halo, Romain Grosjean’s horrific accident from last season might well have left a much poorer taste.
The Frenchman crashed at last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix and had the halo — which was implemented in 2018 — not have been present, one can’t help but wonder if he would’ve suffered from a similar fate as so many drivers before him.
The Jules Bianchi incident comes to mind. He was unable to survive the collision he had against a crane in 2014. Severe injuries to his head ended in a tragic loss for his close ones and of course, Formula 1 on a whole.
Canal Plus has produced a documentary which has captured Grosjean’s crash via computer animations. It includes bytes from Grasjean, his wife and the race engineer.
Wow. Incredible Canal Plus animation of @RGrosjean‘s accident. Most accurate I’ve seen to date.
— Peke_Formula1 (@Peke_Formula1) February 20, 2021
Have collected the animation clips into one video here (footage was placed amongst interview footage in the documentary).
h/t @RacingLines #F1 pic.twitter.com/QL0d2QU2ae
Like many drivers, Grosjean had initially not warmed up to the idea of the Halo. However, had it not have been for the protective equipment made compulsory by FIA, Grosjean may well have lost his life.
The Frenchman said that in hindsight, Jules Bianchi saved his life by forcing the administrators to introduce this rule.
“Jules Bianchi saved my life thanks to the Halo. Yet, I was firmly against its introduction. What an idiot I was…Jules saved my life; he saved the lives of other drivers. I will forever be grateful to him,” declared the Frenchman.
Grosjean would eventually go on to miss the next two races following the accident.
After Haas had confirmed that it would not extend his contract, Grosjean always knew he was on borrowed time as far as his career in the sport was concerned.
Grosjean will participate in the IndyCar series this season for Dale Coyne. The American motorsport series also contacted F1 to share Grosjean’s crash findings, as it helped them elevate their own safety steps.