Why Romain Grosjean surviving the crash wasn't JUST luck

[@LottieTalksF1]

Any debate about the halo is over

[@eccentricgamer4111]

I still hate the way it looks. But I’ll deal with it-what matters most is that Romain is alive because of it.

[@cxool123]

@@eccentricgamer4111 I said it previously, but the ugliness of the halo comes from the fact that it was added to the - at the time - new 2017 chassis. For the next revolution (2022), the new chasis has the halo integrated, making it less horrible and with a better flow in its look

[@eccentricgamer4111]

@@cxool123 That’s good to hear. The 2022 rules package can’t get here soon enough.

[@Firefly414]

@@eccentricgamer4111 it still looks awful. That's all we care about

[@pls-no-punterino7095]

@@Firefly414 I don't know man, I care more about the driver's safety than the look of the car.

[@selder_7]

Wow if they hadn’t updated the overalls he’d have been covered in burns and that could’ve made a huge difference in getting out as quick

[@ch3m1x81]

i think the burns are more from putting his hands down on the barrier to get over it. because they were in the fire and heated up.

[@paulmorales1607]

@@ch3m1x81 i see your point, however it’s been stated that the burns are in the back of the hands. Probably because the skin is thinner.

[@twinkharrylwt226]

@@ch3m1x81 i think bc of the short time the barrier wasn’t hot uet

[@thesamaffliction1572]

The burns appear to be because the gloves still don't withstand the fire for as long and also because as he scurried out to free himself they must've moved around revealing bare skin on his wrists and back of his hands for mere milliseconds but long enough to do damage. Just glad the suit held up for longer or it would've been a different situation

[@Kasmuller]

@@twinkharrylwt226 30 seconds is not a short time

[@Rerags_]

Grosjean partly saved himself by being aware of the situation and his huge physical and mental strengh in this horrible situation...

[@ticoss]

I think these guys have not only the instinct for survival, but above all physical and cognitive abilities that go way beyond what we have. These pilots are sacred athletes with incredible composure /self-control. Roman is known to be quite athletic

[@Rohahahahahah]

True. I mean how he just got up and tried escaping immediately was kinda mind boggling. I would have definitely passed out after the first hit. Then again I'm not a F1 driver lols

[@SaladFingers_]

People often forget just how fit those drivers are to be able to withstand such forces.

[@fardmee6499]

I totally agree.

[@howdeedoodee6603]

@@SaladFingers_ corrrect ! - I saw some years ago how Ralf Schumachers neck (!) "worked" at a start of a race somewhere, I guess my one would broken for sure in a similar situation ... This fitness never comes from nowhere, its just hard work i.e. in gym.

[@ServiceCrew_]

Whilst we’re worrying about romain imagine what his wife and his 3 children would’ve felt like the person who created the halo must feel great

[@ollie_z]

If I was one of romains kids I would worship the halo creator dude

[@stig_ytxd2734]

@Lemon sushi same

[@mrbungle3310]

@@ollie_z get him out on a family dinner after grosjean gets out of the hospital

[@growingleo19]

Romain was actually one of the key people who where pushing for the halo to be introduced so he sorta saved his own life there

[@davidvalencia129]

@@growingleo19 Uhhm no... He said after the crash "A few years ago I wasn't for the Halo, but its the best thing we've introduced to f1" In 2017 he said "I don't want F1 safety to slow down, but we are drivers and we know we are in a dangerous sport so I am not in favor of the halo. I don't think it's F1 DNA and with it I don't see what I saw when I was little or when the competition started in the 50s. If it is finally implemented, okay. But if I had to vote I would do it against"

[@JoeAchilles1]

Let's hope they look at improving those flawed barriers for 2021, that's where the issue is! So glad Romain is still with us, thank god for the halo etc.

[@tintenfische_27]

The reason those ‘flawed’ barriers are there is because it’s such a unlikely place to crash but I see what you mean. The barrier will probably have tire barriers or a tech pro next year

[@derfurz8618]

As they porbably cant really moce them because of bike racing, they will have to upgrade them, if the barrier were closer to the track and/or the recovery exit wouldnt have that nice angle to crash into, they would probably have been fine, but i doubt they will get away with not changing these

[@JackLikesTrackhouse]

They should do a NASCAR and install safer barriers instead. Pretty much every race track they go to has them

[@mrbungle3310]

They are like that on purpuse,if they add something solid there it would be even worse,the driver will bounce back on the track,and maybe end up like Hubert..

[@bongocat5223]

@@tintenfische_27 doesn't matter if its an unlikely spot, the armco should not split like that. It looked like cheap aluminium and the FIA are going to be looking into it

[@oplucaracing1657]

Because of the halo and the fia’s improvements

[@selder_7]

Spurred on by drivers of the past

[@R4c3r_10]

Guess I wont watch this video

[@SpacestarB]

If the halo did not exists his head would of been cut of

[@bujfvjg7222]

does that same bit on a pair of flipflops protect inbetween the toes as well as the Halo protects the head? lol

[@R4c3r_10]

Indeed. The Halo was invented to protect drivers from debris and impacts/collisions/crashes by protecting the driver.

[@benjaminguay8478]

I think we don't put enough emphasis on the fact that Grosjean is a legend for getting out of the car. The state of mind he would have been when the car was stopped, tangled in the barrier, cut in half and on fire, and to just do everything right in that moment to get out in time, WHAT A LEGEND!

[@TheBjossi80]

Amen 🙏

[@TheMarslMcFly]

We also can be more than happy that he wasn't straight up knocked out from the impact and all the safety measurements within the car worked 100%

[@tchevrier]

after seeing the pictures of the cockpit twisted among the barrier, I can't imagine how he got out of there.

[@metaltyre4894]

These things does not come in mind at that time Spinal cord only do one thing, send messages to neurons at 170mph and there is rhythmic contraction and relaxation in muscles in a way to respond according to the situation And yes adrenaline, it increases heart rate and bp so that heart and body can withstand the movement

[@ShenLong991]

They tain their instinct to get out of the car as soon it has stopped. So... i would say no surprise there. They are even trained to put back the steering wheel on the main-hub so the car can get moved out of the way using their own steering. Thats why the medial service on that incident had to stop the slight shocked Grosjean of going back to the car to put on that steering wheel. ;)

[@bjarnevangroen]

Lets not forget about romain’s strength to get out of that “car”

[@sunnex474]

It’s a car

[@tvnganhh_]

@@sunnex474 its a haas car its a shit box

[@wwerocks335]

is it just me who quite likes the look of the halo. Get well soon romain

[@3wsplays942]

yes same

[@bjorn1955]

I started watching F1 in 2018 so i was already used to it

[@XBullitt16X]

They're starting too look better these days as they are more incorporated into the designs of the cars, more molded into them. The newer the cars, the better the halo is taken into account.

[@thesamaffliction1572]

Same! I think it looks sleek, adds to the aero and fast styling (especially on the new spec examples) and gives a much less boxy look to the car. Also looks less like a bobble head out the top of someone's toys'r'us basket

[@irt_rorsam8315]

I liked it from the start - I think it looked quite good

[@Marpurrsa]

so you're saying if romain was in last year's suit he wouldve had burns over his entire body? damn its scary how close he was to insane injuries

[@Audiojack_]

He was very close to death, had he lost his consciousness for even a short time there, he would have run out of time.

[@yariz96]

If this was 3 years ago He’d be dead 1 year ago He’d be much more burnt Glad for all the technological changes

[@mayuravirus6134]

Remember the fire melted his visor

[@simonpapi3180]

You should also add "because of Romains incredible orientation and response after a 53g crash and in huge flames"

[@Sankaritarina89]

I don't know where people get the 53g thing from but that's just not correct. You can't survive 53g. Just from physics alone that amount of g will make your eyes pop out. No matter how trained you are. In Motorsports they have many safety measures to reduce it. 53G would be if Romain crashed into a brick wall at that speed. Because it wasn't a brick wall things behave different and therefore it was not 53G that he had to go through. Saying he survived a 53G is just wrong info.

[@trippletoetgaming]

@@Sankaritarina89 someone in indycar survived 211g or something insane like that, so its true.

[@zeropoint9532]

@@Sankaritarina89 under different circumstances you would be right, because you can‘t survive high g forces BUT it depends on how long you have to withstand them. In that particular accident we’re just talking about 53G for just milliseconds, so in the conclusion you’re actually wrong

[@HelloHello-yp1tb]

@@Sankaritarina89 Exposure time plays a key role here. Also, Romain did not stop at 53G. The car did.

[@ramcalvete5897]

@@Sankaritarina89 Fernando Alonso's 46G crash at 2016 Australian Grand Prix: "Am i a joke to you?"

[@choopsk6734]

The safety car following at the start is such a simple and ingenious idea that definitely saved a lot of time in getting to the fire quickly.

[@rexuz2482]

Medical car*

[@alaeriia01]

Petition to have Grosjean's nickname be "the Phoenix" from now on

[@flaxslice9857]

Honestly, he is not my favourite driver, but damn that nickname is awesome and suits him so well.

[@stevenjoseph6048]

Sounds like a name you'd get in the F1 2020 game ngl lol.

[@brandondunn-moodie1544]

That's such a cool nickname. Romain the Phoenix Grosjean

[@xdarkforgex121]

@peter pan we can dream 😭

[@1992jamo]

Na, "The French Terminator"

[@olaf17]

The halo has saved at least 2 lives since it was introduced. Its a miracle that we haven't lost more drivers in the past. I can't imagine an F1 car without it now and honestly it looks clean on it. I wish Grosjean a speedy recovery 👍

[@yewisemountaingoat528]

A human life is priceless. Hence saving it is always good. Imagine if Grosjean's wife would have to raise up their three kids without him? They'd lose their father at a young age. Imagine their sorrow? Somebody means something to somebody else so saving lives with safety is preventing lots of suffering. Remember when Bianchi died? A young man in his best age, gone forever. His family will have to live without him for the rest of their lives now.

[@thekittulegend]

Let's not forget about Romain himself. To be able to pull himself out of shock, find a way out of the embedded survival cell, and do all that in under 30 seconds, while his hands kept burning and flames literally engulfed him. I know if I was Romain, I definitely would not have been able to react as quickly and efficiently as him. And just a fact, people tend to overestimate how well they will perform in an accident. Being in the situation itself is a lot different and a lot more scary than one can imagine.

[@mdexcavating7692]

don't forget at some point he couldn't even see out of his visor anymore

[@lucmikaelson4428]

i dont believe any normal person would even be conscious after that impact...

[@CptGallant]

For anyone wondering why on earth this barrier system was in use: TL;DR: This kind of collision is unlikely along a straight. Steel guiderails are very good with shallow-angle collisions, which is what you expect in this location. There's almost always a risk-cost tradeoff in engineering, this is no exception. A different (and surely more expensive) barrier system might have been better in this instance, but it has to be balanced with the likelihood of actually seeing a crash like this one. Steel guiderail style barriers are designed to slow down cars coming in at a shallow angle, and they're very good at it. You see them along straights because that's the kind of collision you're more likely to see on that part of the track. You'd never see them on the outside of a corner because that's exactly where you're likely to see cars going at the barrier straight on, so something like a tire wall is much more effective there. The choice of barrier system depends on several factors such as the size and surface of the runoff area, location on the circuit, likely speed of collision, likelihood of a car bouncing back onto the track, etc. Grosjean's crash was an unusual one, going across the track and facing the wall. That sort of collision is very unlikely to happen along a straight, this is presumably why something like a SAFER barrier or tire wall wasn't used there. For better or worse, there's almost always a risk-vs-cost tradeoff in engineering. For example, we could make buildings effectively impervious to earthquakes, but that would be unrealistically expensive to mitigate against a very rare event. Similarly, we could put the best possible barrier systems along every part of a racetrack that are good at taking any kind of impact, but this would be impractically expensive for the track owners and provide only a marginal benefit at best in the vast majority of incidents. There's definitely a conversation worth having about how much risk is too much and how much we're willing to spend to improve safety in all areas - barrier systems, wheel tethers, runoff areas, etc. Some things are easy to implement across the board, like mandatory fire-proof overalls, but most if not all measures require a risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis before implementation. And by the way, the FIA and Formula 1 is having this conversation about safety all the time. Plenty of proactive safety measures are put into place that hardly anyone notices. When a big incident like this happens, that's when it's often (but not always) necessary to implement some sort of reactive safety measure, whether it be a new general rule or something more specific like the barrier used at a particular location.

[@sh0ejin]

Also, at high speeds, the safer barriers bounce the cars into the circuit again.

[@ryanrobin28]

All safety systems work together in harmony. Everything was tested to the limit and everything played a part in his survival.

[@Coastfog]

Thanks for highlighting the trade off that is present in virtually any area where economic efficiency and safety collide (no pun intended). Sure, there will always be that one unforseen freak incident that had one component nobody accounted for, but every little bit of added security compounds towards a higher likelihood of survival. So glad that people much smarter than I or most of us made it their lives' work saving our lives before they are even in imminent danger.

[@davidf5449]

Absolutely incredible he survived...I was watching live and thought he was dead

[@Alexander27463]

I thought well this is the first time since Jules

[@irt_rorsam8315]

The thing was we didn’t even know who it was until they said it was Grosjean about a minute later. I was there counting the cars trying to work out who it was.

[@TheMarslMcFly]

@@irt_rorsam8315 The German Sky Commentators first thought it was George Russell because you only saw a white car fly off till they counted the cars a few corners later. It really was insane. So glad Romain is okay.

[@smOOdiebOOdie]

Same, I got shivers all over me because it looked like game over for the driver.. I sadly saw Jules crash live as well 😞 Rip Jules

[@swardmusic]

Me too

[@selder_7]

It’s scary that that fire wasn’t even from all the fuel. Also scary that Ross Brawn knows the difference between fires

[@nover0570]

Nah, that's just a lot of experience and a lot of testing.

[@DjDolHaus86]

If you've ever seen a few litres of fuel go up you know what it looks like. If the full tank had gone up it would have been a literal sea of fire that would have taken ages to get under control.

[@XBullitt16X]

Don't forget the batteries, they can catch fire too.

[@pandabearguy1]

@@XBullitt16X it usually takes a while before batteries catch fire as theyre very protected and need alot of energy/temperature to ignite.

[@craigporter8873]

@@pandabearguy1 Like a crash at 250kph and a big fire ball perhaps ? He was lucky in that sense too that the Li ion batteries were not ruptured.

[@PyroBun_2844]

I love how in respect of grosjean, there’s no background music, props to y’all at wtf1.

[@sindhusojan8225]

His kids didn’t lose their dad because of the halo that Jules gave his life for

[@martinpruvost6413]

The halo, implemented after Jules's death, saved at least 2 lives : Charles, Jules's godson, and Romain who carried Jules's coffin out of the church... Such a crazy story !

[@videomaker557]

And Dale Earnhardt for the HANS device that has saved many as well

[@johnharris6655]

@@videomaker557 No, Dale was stupid. the Hans device was available at the time of his death but he refused to wear it. His death only got it mandated, not created.

[@FIumel]

Kind of crazy that just 3 years earlier no one could have survived that crash without the halo

[@R4c3r_10]

2020: guess I’ll continue being a *bad guy.*

[@frictionp5760]

dont worry, only 31 days left

[@dummyaccount9673]

@@frictionp5760 There is no guarantee that 2021 will be any better..

[@DanishAZ-mp7tm]

@@dummyaccount9673 exactly, I'll have low expectations for next year to prevent any disappointments on what is to come

[@guckinfames]

You say that but I see this as a good thing, Grojean was set on fire and he walked with burns on his hands and a few broken ribs, that’s it.

[@jwork5680]

There will be 32 Decmeber 2020

[@brickisland6353]

We all know Romain is out of F1 this year, and all drivers want to end on a bang, but this is not what we had in mind Romain. Get well soon.

[@user-de4cq6uk6l]

They should put that survival cell on display in the entrance of the HAAS team hq. Just as a reminder

[@HunterCihal]

They literally put themselves in danger without hesitation. These guys are heroes.

[@metro3313]

Halo be like: I see no god up here, other than me.

[@TheBjossi80]

God sees you thought. Eyes are useless if the mind is blind

[@DanC8111_]

@@TheBjossi80 huh I guess we can’t take jokes.

[@TheBjossi80]

@@DanC8111_ of course I can. Did this look like I was offended ?

[@DominikDoesGaming]

@@DanC8111_ he speaking faxx tho

[@TheRealChainNinja]

@@TheBjossi80 Amen to that.

[@a72929]

That marshal and the medical team need a great reward, seeing these heroes go relatively unsung considering what they did seems like injustice for me

[@BrunoDECOURCY]

His fitness level is also another key element. He didn’t faint during the crash!!! If he did, we all would be mourning him!!!!

[@Swagmaster-si1he]

The halo is a engineering masterpiece!

[@m4ch3te]

Even tho I think it could be better in terms of visibility for the driver I know that the biggest minds of racing world made it to be the best and again proved me that I know shit. And I'm glad they did

[@mattstuff4177]

@@m4ch3te the drivers can still see very well

[@m4ch3te]

@@mattstuff4177 I know, that's why I said I know shit

[@swedishkebab8258]

The marshall that ran across the track with a fire extinguisher was the real hero

[@Meditech509]

You are correct. That guy who was already there did nothing for the first ten seconds blowing his halon into the wind.

[@gramathy999]

@@Meditech509 The marshal on the same side was equipped with the wrong kind of extinguisher for this incident, a wide water-based spray better suited to putting out a fire inside the car itself (e.g. Perez's fire later in the day). He was ineffective because his equipment wasn't suited to the extreme situation.

[@DjDolHaus86]

It's debatable whether his actions were advisable. At any other point in the race than during the first lap when the cars were bunched, running across the track would have put himself and the drivers at massive risk. The first job of responders is not making the situation worse by adding yourself to the casualty list.

[@swedishkebab8258]

@@DjDolHaus86 yes but in this situation he 100% did the right thing

[@Mamo878]

The family of Tom Pryce almost certainly does _not_ agree.

[@sankimalu]

Now, everytime I see a Mercedes Estate I will think, "Romain is fine..."

[@a.3160]

Mercedes-AMG C63s Estate

[@Punty050]

#lovepureloveandhumility I was in tears when I saw him climb out of the flames and his cars, I won't lie. I'm so happy for his family. Pure love and appreciation to all the people that helped him on the scene.

[@dhruvjoshi4325]

U need to apologize for blaming Daniil he had to delete a post on insta, U can’t just blame him

[@cgifford66]

Probably the most brilliant aspect was Romain himself, who had the abilitiy to unbuckle himself whilst covered in flames, most likely disorientated, extract himself from a tight position, and then respond to the most likely urgings from the marshall/doctor the head towards them. I dare say a lot of people would have panicked in such a situation losing vital seconds and options.

[@Dunbie_]

He probably would’ve been so shook from the impact alone, so many of the drivers take their time out of the car when crashed, so that also

[@mihajlovucinic011]

Also his fitness and composure to have enough strength to exist so quickly from the car.

[@Manoj17Patankar]

everytime I watch a video/ read an article about this crash, I get goosebumps and tears well up.. what matters is Romain is safe, and the safety standards, equipment and training has done its job.. my level of appreciation for everyone involved went up a few notches

[@BOABModels]

Let's remember - it wasn't a miracle. It was amazing, but everything did its job! A miracle would be a driver surviving this without the FIA safety measures.

[@rexuz2482]

Well I mean. The armco split in many ways and pieces could have easily penetrated his helmet, neck or upper body through the halo.

[@PAULSWorld131]

So you would have survived that crash when sitting in his car at that moment you think? Crashing with 220 km/hr, flying straight through the barriers, staying conscious, sitting 30 seconds in a huge ball of fire, being able to unlock yourself, stay orientated and then finding your way out after a 53 G impact? Come on. This was a plain f*cking miracle.

[@BOABModels]

@@PAULSWorld131 that's not what I'm saying - I've heard what Grosjean has said about being determined to get out and that's willpower. My issue with the term miracle is that it suggests some sort of divine intervention - like when the Haas team said there was an angel helping him. It was amazing but I think miracle is the wrong word.

[@insulinintaker]

I know a lot of people joke around about when Romain normally crashes or spins out and just slowly goes into a barrier and we think he’s not a good driver but honestly, he’s a very good driver, top 20 in the world and we’re just happy that he’s still here

[@motorsportgus6748]

Thank God he's ok

[@FoxiKittyPayday]

its insane how he walked away from that crash. in any other year f1 car we would not have him around

[@MazdaratiMan69]

I saw him crash and thought “typical Grosjean” then I saw the fire and went oh shit

[@fordylad285]

How did you know it was Romain straight away? No one knew who had crashed till a few seconds later? Why lie?

[@susantummon3463]

@@fordylad285 at a guess...because RG is well known for crashing and was near the back of the field?

[@HartyBiker]

@@fordylad285 you can usually tell who has crashed because they lose positions on the graphics as well.

[@howdeedoodee6603]

Danke für hervorragende Erklärungen, und Erläuterungen der Umstände ! Brillante Presse-Arbeit !

[@SinnexEU]

I wonder did kvyat blame himself in his head when he saw the fire. I would until I saw more footage

[@arjungrewal17]

He did. You can see it from his radio saying,"Please tell me he is ok"

[@MrChris30134]

Afterwards Kvyat did an interview where he told that he was furious at Grosjean at first for turning across him, but then he realised that something terrible had happened and he immediately started worrying instead

[@McPlayer8t]

MrChris30134 Understandable really, even if he did nothing wrong, it would be hard for Kvyat not to blame himself after this kind of incident, and I think it showed on the restart, when he was too cautious trying to overtake Stroll, he could have made that move I feel, but he kind of did the anti-torpedo. Brundle even said before the restart that if you go cautiously, bad stuff happens, and he was right. I’m just glad everyone is relatively okay and we can look back on this in future as a great demonstration of the improving safety of the sport, rather than something much worse.

[@biscuitcase83]

@@McPlayer8t The stewards were way too harsh on Kvyat for the Stroll incident. The poor guy had already watched a car cut across him and explode in flames...and Stroll admitted after the race he didn't even see Kvyat.

[@McPlayer8t]

I agree, the move ‘was on’ as they say, he was far enough alongside, but went in too cautious, and he was too far on the inside, so Stroll wouldn’t have seen him in the mirror either, just a racing incident in my opinion.

[@TheAyrtonE]

HALO protects his head, HANS keep him conscious, Suit, gloves, boots and helmet didn’t melt, everything works perfectly, Kudos to FIA

[@judgegixxer]

I always thought the Halo looked kinda cool, never had a problem with it. Those Armco barriers should have dissappeared in the 80's.

[@user-dark999]

My birthday was on Sunday . The mood changed from happy to sad to nervous . I was so happy to see Romain was okay .

[@onyx1986]

First, good to see he is okay and that the car lives up to expectations

[@phil-zz5hk]

romain was in the car at least 33 seconds . from the time the medical car pulled up alongside was 21 to romain over the barrier . plus the time from the back of the grid to get to romain . he was an incredibly lucky man

[@SLongden94]

Interesting thoughts but to suggest "Grojean was clipped by Kvyat" is wrong. Clearly Grojean steered his car right and clipped Kvyat.

[@catzkeet4860]

Exactly. Grosjean went for what appeared to be a space....there had been some bunching and heavy braking in the leading pack and ive seen the car cam footage from both of them. Grosjean went for a space he could see ahead and I don’t think he even saw the other car until he clipped hom, sending his car straight into the barrier.

[@rileybalcombe5142]

The burns to his hand weren't from the fire, it was the heat from the armco when he was trying to get over the wall and the heat radiating through his gloves and hands. Also the fuel tank is right behind the drivers seat and because of the angle of the incident, speed of the incident and the angle of the car horizontally means it was unstoppable and Romain was extremely lucky to survive that. Dr Ian Robert's and Alan Van Der Merwe are some of the safest people in the F1 paddock and we are lucky to have them in F1 but also Motorsport in general

[@MrJayboi88]

I hope there is a computer model made up in the next few weeks so we can look in detail of what happened. Be nice to see how the halo done its job there

[@achyaranshory8595]

We glad that Romain is still with us, sending prayer to him and to his family, speedy recovery for Romain!

[@philippkoser5441]

Still in shock! Hope I'll never see something like this again. Get well soon Romain!

[@gherthort]

I honestly think the cars look better with the halo than without

[@philippegallou5259]

even with all these security measures he could have died abou 10 diffrent ways he is quite lucky to get out of it quit untouched but he also saved himself

[@jacobhanekamp2534]

Were all forgetting one thing.... That frickin guard rail is the only reason this crash was so violent. That guard rail is the reason why the gas tank was damaged. If the guard rail didn't fail, this crash wouldn't have been as bad.

[@radwan.szabouni]

You need to rethink that sentence

[@heroicalx_]

"What do you say to the god of death? Not today"

[@Rautaman]

The moment that the replays were not shown when it wasn't clear did he even survive... That was a long wait. Great video, thanks for sharing this info.

[@rpcorp]

It’s time F1 ➡️follows⬅️ NASCAR and requires all tracks to have full techpro barriers around 100% of the track. Budget is no excuse

[@Kj_Gamer2614]

Yeah but nascar everywhere is a crash area as it’s an oval but here it’s just so unlickely

[@rpcorp]

@@Kj_Gamer2614 that’s a good point. I’ve also read that the tech pro and safer barriers can be dangerous from bounce back. Clearly this a complex question that needs serious answers

[@josiahpetz5770]

I did a full 13 page paper for university analyzing the role the barriers played in Hubert's crash last year, armco barriers parallel to the track are necessary on straights so at high speed a crashing car will ride along the barrier, dissipating its energy through friction, a tecpro or tyre barrier as shown in the Hubert crash may rebound the car away from the barrier and we know the tragic consequences of that last year, however, at a barrier that's like this, angled around 30 degrees toward the track, there needs to be a tecpro or tyre barrier because there is the chance of a high-angled collision of over 45 degrees, the armco alone is not meant to take this high an energy collision according to Ross Brawn, either the barrier needs to be put parallel to the straight and the barrier behind to be angled at the end in order to get stranded cars through there or there needs to be tecpro or tyre barrier there

[@rpcorp]

@@josiahpetz5770 this sounds correct. Thanks for your knowledgeable reply. And it’s very interesting that you wrote your paper on the Hubert accident. Andy Lally a well respected champion GT driver and athlete questioned publicly on Twitter the location angle and construction of this barrier and likewise said that tecpro should have been used. Armco’s potential to be pierced is a historic problem that has resulted in fatalities. How this barrier was signed off on is a serious question.

[@jamesgreer2344]

Tires are the safest

[@andrefaelnar]

So glad that romain is still with us. Wishing him for a speedy recovery. If his injuries are too sever for him to drive, then its no surprise that Pietro might be the one to finish the remaining races of this season.

[@brandon_buildsDIY]

I’ve been a fan of him since 2012 even tho he has had his moments he is one of the nicest guys on the grid and bloody quick on his day too, it’s messed up that it had to take a near death experience for him for people to actually appreciate him

[@Bakura43]

It's unfortunate that that's usually the case regardless of discipline

[@ThunderApache]

That marshal with fire extinguisher 🧯 was the real hero. Alan Van der Merwe got all the credit and we don’t know the name of the marshal.

[@VicenteGarzaIII]

Its been a while since the last f101

[@4_14_fan]

As a Stewart Haas NASCAR fan when I saw this I was in awe. And I was so relieved to know he was ok

[@TheLibermania]

This was 10 % Luck 20 % Skill 15 % concentrated power of will 5 % pleasure 50 % pain And 100 % reason the remember the name.

[@meblijebli2152]

F1's safety is astounding

[@_gmmaann_]

"Something happened that shocked the entirety of the MS world." *Me, who didnt even realize there was a race*. Keep up the good work WTF1 - your videos provide me with sanctuary from the hell that is school.

[@1992jamo]

I was watching it live and was horrified. I was 100% sure I just witnessed someone die. I've never really seen a crash where I was worried at all, but this was so different, I instantly felt sick.

[@TheAlfredoCinema]

@@1992jamo me too! i saw it and instantly my heart sank, seeing him come out of the wreck was such a relief

[@panicxitsxbrea]

one of the things being slightly overlooked is romain, himself. i grew up with a fireman, i've run into a structure fire on our property - smoke inhalation very rapidly deadens your ability to think coherently or focus at all, no matter how strong your will to live, in addition to the crash being disorientating and his visor having melted and become impossible to see through. i honestly dropped to my knees off the couch because i was certain i'd just watched someone die and was stunned speechless when i saw him pulling himself out of that melted lump.

[@sitranine8369]

I love, respect, and am relieved for Romain, but we need to talk about how misjudged the move that caused his crash was.

[@nsp5258]

It wasn't his worst ever misjudgment imo but it definitely had the worst consequence. Kvyat would of been in his blind spot till it's pretty much too late. He had good drive out of t3 compared to the gaggle of cars squabbling ahead and didn't want to pass up a chance at gaining places while also recognizing that Kimi would be returning to the circuit on his left. In hindsight he would of been better to lift but the racer in him saw an opportunity. A very unfortunate racing incident.

[@crow273]

Awesome videos as always much respect to you guys and the wtf1 team

[@cebrasil]

My friend everything you said is right, but God give to him second chance.

[@lourensmuller7726]

Nope, science did

[@masantosalvarez4908]

I mean it depends on if your religious or whatever

[@strickphoto]

The second he hit and a fireball engulfed the car I was speechless. Then seeing him sitting in the car I was like "oh that crash wasn't bad"...then they showed him getting out of the fire, WOW, dude will be forever a legend. Those were the scariest images I have seen coming from an F1 race in decades. I also wonder how much of the fire was from oil lines and oil coolers as well as fuel.

[@sixldoesstuff5566]

I’m not first I’m not last But when wtf1 uploads I am fast

[@millardfamily3179]

Hahahahah how long did it take to make that up..?! Still none the less, that's funny.

[@getnaenaed4222]

Wasn't there a similar comment on an F1 video where it was the same format but wtf1 was replaced with f1?

[@Dittosaurr]

i actually really like how the halo look on the car

[@jowzefff]

Formula 1 Fans: Thank God for the Halo The Engineers who designed it: 🙃

[@abhiisnotme]

fine thank the engineers taht created the halo for the halo

[@TheBjossi80]

Who created the engineers ?

[@Shadows-cg4gm]

Icelandic Acro Team their parents, probably

[@TheBjossi80]

@@Shadows-cg4gm what a miraculous magic power does their parents have ?

[@DanC8111_]

@@TheBjossi80 some special downstairs parts

[@SamScott55]

yes the car split, but the car split improperly, with the rear ripping the panel that covers the fuel cell off, which then got punctured, hence the fire.

[@Alexander27463]

Without the halo he wouldve died no doubt

[@gomilopez1]

Thank you so much for the info Matt!

[@karstenrohrs]

Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter how he survived, we’re just all glad he made it out

[@nahomseifu5102]

It does matter, because it's the design and engineering that make this sport safer

[@karstenrohrs]

@@nahomseifu5102 i mean it honestly matters but it’s not that which matters the most

[@wyattrubin]

I appreciate this video because I really don’t like it when people say driver’s got lucky to survive. His survival wasn’t luck at all. It’s such an amazing nod to the improvements in driver safety. No luck involved, just incredible engineerings

[@dorathehonria2724]

Don't none of you DARE use Sbinala. This dude's life was on the line. If it was a stupid crash do it, but he nearly died.

[@alaeriia01]

Yeah, this is not a s🅱️inalla moment. There was a pretty good s🅱️inalla later in the race, though the TV broadcast didn't air it for some reason.

[@josiahboatengmyrie]

i still don't understand how people blame kvyat for that incident the stuff i've seen on his ig comments have been nothing short of disgusting

[@zikutan5651]

Grosjean is one of my favourite drivers,seeing him alive and kinda well is very nice to see,i am relieved he is well and he survived the crash.the halo did a big part of protecting him in the crash and others too.now i know why its called the halo,its a literal god and angel to drivers

[@-Loki--]

Romain himself was a big factor, he fought through that on his own, no panic just did what was needed. HERO.

[@molecakes1535]

Nice one #wtf1 seen a few of these today, yours was the most tasteful and informative. #thankyouhalo

[@drkmomatten]

very Nice video. I would like to add the good quick reaction of Grojean was also important factor.

[@b3n926]

Finally someone giving the marshal the credit he deserved 👏

[@stegotron]

I honestly thought I was going to have to have a difficult conversation with my 4 year old son about what he had seen happen, and this video highlights how the work that has been put in over the years to improve safety and which means that it was just a bad accident but where the driver walked away, and not something much worse. Very glad Romain got did get the chance to walk away, and applaud the marshals and medical team that were there to help him.

[@bunchamrong9858]

Not that I want to see incident like this happened but the response team was really on point and it's really cool to see that.

[@verdiguy]

Great assessment Matt but you forgot one supremely important factor, that being our innate instinct for self-preservation. I have no way of knowing what was going through Romain's mind during the 20-30 seconds he was in the car, whether it was thinking of his family or whether he was simply repeating to himself, "not today, not today". It could just have been pure instinctive reaction to the flames and the heat but whatever it was, he hauled himself out of that car to safety and that is amazing.

[@comdrive3865]

I'm thinking " oh shit cars on fire, time to get out guess I'll race another day" like he wouldn't have really registered that the crash itself could've killed him

[@j0hnn13K]

Take a moment to realize the following : Forget for a moment, the fire and barrier/halo stuff and focus on the most remarkable thing Romain survived... the 53 G impact. Romain is a rather tall guy, so i estimate his weight to be around 70 kilos, this means that at the moment of impact his body weight was 3710 kilos for a small moment. That is enough to rupture internal organs, blood vessels and even his spinal cord. And yet.. he walks away relatively unharmed, i'd guess this goes to show how much safety has improved over the years. I'm so happy we didnt have a "black Sunday" with the untimely demise of Romain because if this had happened 5 years ago, we'd all be mourning his loss today. I hope he recovers quickly and that he gets to race the final race of the season in 2 weeks from now, because i really dont want this scary weekend to be the last meters in a F1 car he ever has driven.

[@j0hnn13K]

@UCGZQ0Nqosmf8DDeviFVcYyQ same goes for jumping of the 6th floor, the hit is only a split second, yet... It doesnt have to be for a long period, the impact itself can kill with ease.

[@VMDimi]

And i'd like to add: the incredible physical condition these atletes have. To withstand a 50+G impact, stay calm af and keep thinking.

[@Smonjirez]

Despite the explanation, I'm still baffled he could walk away after crashing *through* a barrier at 221 km/h and bursting into flames.

[@Hirosjimma]

A 6mm galvanized sheet steel barrier mind you. Holy crap man... I think he's the only person ever to go through a steel barrier and live.

[@nicomal]

GREAT Video, excellent explanation.

[@asianH_tler]

Wish you dove more into the technicalities 😢 great video tho!!

[@eudofia]

Whoa! Didn't know the chassis splitting in two was also a safety feature. Imagine the whole weight of the engine pressing against Roman, it would have been impossible for him to get out in time with the flames all around him.

[@709mash]

I appreciated Daniel going from upset at Romain, to being very worried for him in an instant. He stopped caring about how it happened and only cared about his safety. We rag on Daniel from time to time, but he's a good guy. Also, I have to give big credit to the FIA. We often drag them, but when it comes to safety they have been making all the right calls. I honestly have a lot of faith in the FIA when it comes to safety.

[@mp4986]

I'm seriously surprised how little people know about the sport they watch. To not know a basic thing like why the car split in two stuns me. This is a thing that has been designed into the cars for ages.

[@robot3759]

1:32 Actually that "safety feature" is part of the reason that the crash ended in a ball of flame. The area of the car that was supposed to break off was right on top of where the fuel tank is located. The crash actually just exposed and lit up the fuel like a Christmas tree. In this year's F1 cars, especially with what we saw when Mick Schumacher crashed at Monaco, they changed it so they break at at around where the gearbox is, still deflecting the impact but not breaking the fuel tank.

[@skynet0912]

I think Malcolm Wilson said it best... Safety in racing is a constant thing. If you don't keep moving forwards, you go backwards instead! Teams will keep making their cars faster, lighter and closer to the edge, and if we don't make sure the safety aspect of the cars follow suit, safety will be left behind...