Herman Tilke: "You have to be careful not to make it worse"

Romain Grosjean experienced a terrible crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Fortunately, Grosjean is still with us. Track designer Herman Tilke was asked by DerStandard how the crash happened.

Circumstances crash Grosjean

The Frenchman collided with Daniil Kvyat during the Grand Prix of Bahrain. As a result, Grosjean's Haas shot through the crash barrier and exploded.

"Everything breaks at some point when the power is great enough. Different factors came together. The accident occurred on a straight stretch where the run-off zones are narrower and the crash barriers run parallel to the track. The angle of impact was 90 degrees. If it had been more acute, the car would have scraped along the crash barrier and expelled the energy. 53 g hit Grosjean, so an incredible amount," Tilke summarizes the circumstances of the crash.

Lessons for Tilke after the crash

The FIA started an investigation after the accident of the Haas driver. The designer was also asked what lessons he could learn from the crash himself. "You have to be careful. With Grosjean's crash angle, it would certainly have been better if there had been a safety brake in front of the crash barrier, like a pile of tires. In other crashes, however, that can be counterproductive, because the car can get stuck in it. Everything has advantages and disadvantages, you have to be careful not to make it worse for other scenarios."

"The FIA will investigate the incident closely. The system has been working for decades. This is the first time such an accident has happened," concludes Tilke. Everyone will hope that there will be a suitable solution, so we won't see a crash like Grosjean's again. The FIA has shown a great deal of attention to safety developments in recent years. That will be no different after this crash.