‘This is what would have happened if the crash barrier wasn’t there’

In the Ziggo Sport podcast, former F1-driver Robert Doornbos looks back on last weekend's race in Bahrain, and comments on the discussion about the crash barrier: should it have been there? And should it have broken? Is it time for an adjustment to the safety regulations?

"A legendary race, both positively and negatively," Doornbos describes, very aptly, obviously referring to the fierce crash and unlikely getaway of Haas driver Romain Grosjean. In the aftermath of this, the safety measures taken in Formula 1 to protect drivers' lives are logically reviewed, and Doornbos is now also making his voice heard.

Questions are being asked about the presence of the crash barrier, and especially about it splitting in half on impact. Doornbos explains what choices were made on the circuit of Sakhir regarding the crash barrier and tyre walls, and how the crash would have happened if the Haas was caught by something else: "There was a crash barrier placed without a tyre wall," Doornbos begins. "If it had been concrete, the impact would have been just as hard, and the car would have bounced off. Of course you can't drill straight through the concrete, but he did drill through the crash barrier. That's a point that the FIA is going to look at."

SAFER Barrier

Another option is the SAFER barrier, which we know from the Indycar and is specially designed to absorb the first impact of a crash as well as it can. "A SAFER barrier ensures that the car is bounced back, and does not come to a stop at once, because that is life-threatening."