Romain Grosjean suffered a horrific crash with his Haas car at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix – his survival was a miracle
The chassis of Romain Grosjean‘s burn-out Haas car which suffered a horrific crash at the Bahrain International Circuit in 2020, is currently being displayed as a part of an F1 exhibition in Madrid.
The remains of the chassis, which split in half on impact, had been kept under wraps for the past three years and is now open for public viewing in a dedicated room titled ‘survival’, along with previously unreleased footage of the accident. The exhibition has been made open for the public since March 24 in the Spanish capital and the tickets are available online.
Formula One’s official handle put out a post on Instagram, informing fans that the exhibition is now open: “The remnants of a spectacular display of Engineering that assisted in saving Romain Grosjean’s life in Bahrain. Now open for viewing to the public at the Madrid F1 Exhibition.”
The memories of the crash are still afresh but Grosjean has a great sense of humour and came up with a cheeky reply: “Let me know if my left shoe is still in there.” It’s all fun and games now, but the accident is considered to be one of the scariest F1 crashes of all-time. If not for the engineering brilliance of the ‘Halo’, Grosjean’s chances of survival were close to zero.
The Halo is a protective barrier that helps to prevent large objects and debris from entering the cockpit of a single-seat racing car. Halo improves safety for drivers by preventing large objects entering the car’s cockpit. While crash helmets are effective at preventing head injuries in most incidents, a few high-profile accidents involving larger objects revealed that more could be done to reduce the risk of serious injury in crashes.
There have been multiple instances of the ‘Halo’ playing a key role in saving a driver’s life but nothing tops its contribution in saving Grosjean’s life during his crash in 2020.
Romain Grosjean survived the horrific crash at the Bahrain GP that saw his Haas car crash through an Armco barrier. The Halo (which was previously criticised by many) showed signs of damage from the barrier that would otherwise have been inflicted on Grosjean’s helmet, and is certain to have saved his life.
The halo head-protection device, a result of engineering brilliance – has been one of the single biggest success stories of Formula 1’s constant quest to improve safety since the death of F1 legend Ayrton Senna in 1994.
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