At the end of the Formula One season in 2020, Haas driver Romain Grosjean suffered a horrific accident on the Bahrain International Circuit. His car got stuck between parts of the Armco barrier, tore apart and set on fire. It was one of the more violent wrecks we’ve seen in F1 in a long time, and the FIA, F1’s governing body, has finally released a full report of what happened – including what exactly went wrong.
The The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) generally handles these investigations with caution. Every time a driver is killed or seriously injured – or if an accident is far more violent than most others we’ve seen recently, the FIA does an in – depth analysis of the cause and shares the report.
Here is what the most recent report on Grosjean’s incident had to say:
The car suffered major damage during the impact, including the separation of the power measurement from the survival cell. The inspection hatch of the fuel tank on the left side of the chassis was ripped loose and the connection of the engine’s fuel supply was torn from the fuel tank ‘safety bladder’; both provide primary routes for the escape of fuel from the tank.
The driver’s safety equipment, including helmet, HANS and safety harness, as well as the survival cell, seat, headrest and Halo front cabin protection, performed according to their specifications to protect the driver’s survival space and the forces applied to the driver during the attack, to manage.
The high voltage energy recovery system (ERS) battery was significantly damaged, while some parts of the ERS batteries were left with the driving force and others remained on the survival cell.
Fire was lit during the last moments of the battle, starting from the back of the survival cell and continuingto the driver when the fire grows.
The FIA basically confirmed what the case turned out to be, just by looking at the crash material: it looks like the car and all its safety measures are doing their job. The biggest problem here was the fact that the fuel tank’s safety bladder tore in the blow, which resulted in the fire.
That said, there are many things the FIA is going to investigate into Grosjean’s wreck, including:
- Changes to the fuel bladder and / or fuel type
- The steering column as it trapped Grosjean’s left foot in the initial part of the crash
- Mounting power unit
- Main support position, specifically in case of fire
- Improvements to refractory gloves
- Improvements to the handrail
- Better obstacles
- More effective fire extinguishing options
So, basically, any part of the crash that did not go as planned will be heavily investigated, with upgrades and improvements that will take place in the future.
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Racing is an inherently dangerous sport, and there is always the chance of an accident that defies expectations. But the FIA is doing a damn good job of making sure the accidents are not repeated.