The International F1 media unanimous: "Grosjean had nerves of steel"

The international media are full of praise for the FIA and its security measures, which have continued to improve in recent years. The press writes that Romain Grosjean has been extremely lucky to escape from his burning Haas F1 car. The halo is designated as the 'saviour' of the French driver.

Auto, Motor und Sport

This 16th Bahrain Grand Prix in the history of Formula 1 will be remembered. Romain Grosjean was involved in an accident that nobody had ever imagined. The Frenchman shot into a crash barrier in his Haas and got stuck in it while petrol ignited. Miraculously, Grosjean escaped from the flames almost unharmed. It is a miracle that Grosjean survived the worst accident of his life almost unhurt. The 34-year-old experienced driver even escaped the inferno, which had ignited about 25 seconds after the start. The scene of the accident showed all the destructive fury.

Sky Sports

Grosjean miraculously escaped with minor burns and injuries after his Haas pierced the barriers, ripped in half and burst into flames on the first lap of the race, leading to a red flag and delay of over an hour. The Frenchman, who somehow clambered out of his cockpit while it was engulfed in flames before being rescued by marshals and an FIA medical official, was transported to the hospital via helicopter where he is undergoing further evaluation.

L'Equipe

"Opinions are unanimous after Romain Grosjean's accident. Without the halo, the French driver would probably have died on the Sakhir circuit. "There is absolutely no doubt that the halo saved Romain," said Ross Brawn, the F1 sports director. The titanium structure, installed above the single-seaters' bucket and capable of supporting a weight of 12 tonnes, was introduced in 2018 to protect the drivers' heads. And it's true that without it, Grosjean, whose Haas crossed the safety rail and was broken in two parts, would not have got away with just a few burns on his hands. "Romain could have had his head cut off," Lewis Hamilton even said. Even the principal, also president of the drivers' association, paid tribute to him: "The halo is the best thing that has been introduced in F1. "Criticised when it arrived, the halo will no longer be questioned."

La Gazzetta Dello Sport

Hamilton's victory obviously overshadowed the moments of terror experienced by the French driver, who crashed head-on into the barriers after touching Dani Kvyat's AlphaTauri (the Frenchman dived to the right, perhaps to try to overtake, but he touched the Russian's car, which appeared to be blameless). His Haas hit the barriers at an almost frontal angle, broke in two and caught fire. Luckily, the driver remained conscious, took off his seatbelt in the flames and, immediately rescued by the marshals with fire extinguishers, got out of the cockpit, visibly shaken. It was a miracle that, according to initial reports, he suffered only a few burns (he was taken to hospital for examination). It is almost superfluous to point out that all the safety measures studied, implemented and installed on these single-seaters, from the severe frontal crash tests, to the use of the Halo, to the seatbelt release systems, have been crucial to save Romain's life.

Marca 

The Halo saves a life after a terrible accident The Halo, the car and the fireproof clothing, improved over the years, prevented Grosjean from being decapitated or carbonised. GROSJEAN Nerves of steel The Frenchman remained calm, despite the blow, and was able to find his way out and escape."

This article was written and originally published by Corwin on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.