Former halo skeptic Grosjean praises the device with saving his life

MANAMA, Bahrain – Romain Grosjean credited the halo protection bar with saving his life inside a fiery crash that ripped his car in 2 around the opening lap of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Frenchman’s Haas car speared through the barriers after careering from the track at high-speed, with the force of the impact splitting the car in half and setting it aflame.

Grosjean, who clambered out and limped from the crash, miraculously escaped with simply burns to his hands and had been treated overnight at a nearby hospital. He’s expected to launch on Tuesday.

“Hello everyone, just wanted to state I'm OK, well sort of okay,” the 34-year-old, his hand swaddled in bandages but his face smiling, said from his hospital bed inside a video posted to his social media.

“I wasn't for the halo some years ago, but I think it is the greatest thing that people delivered to Formula One, and without it I would not be able to talk to you today.”

Formula One introduced the halo, a three-point titanium structure above the front from the cockpit designed to protect drivers’ heads from flying debris, in 2021 and it initially attracted controversy.

Grosjean, who's from contract and certain to depart Formula One after the entire year, was someone who was against it at that time, terming your day its introduction was announced a “sad day” for that sport.

On Sunday, his gratitude for its existence was echoed by others within the sport.

“There’s absolutely no doubt the halo was the factor that saved your day and saved Romain,” Formula One’s md for motorsport Ross Brawn said.

“There is quite a lot of controversy at the time about introducing it, and I don’t think anyone now can doubt the validity of that. It had been a lifesaver today.

“Undoubtedly we’ve reached do a very deep analysis of all of the events that occurred because there were a number of things that shouldn’t have happened,” Brawn told Sky Sports television. “The fireplace was worrying, the split from the barrier was worrying.

“I think the positives would be the safety from the car, and that’s what got us through today.”

F1’s more dangerous past

Brawn said barriers splitting was a problem from Formula One’s far more dangerous past “and normally it resulted in a fatality.”

Brawn said the game hadn't seen this type of fire in many years, even though the fuel cells were now built to be ‘incredibly strong’ and that he suspected it had been more likely to be due to a ruptured connection.

“It looked a big fire but those cars are carrying 100 kilos of fuel at that point. I believe if 100 kilos had gone up we would have experienced an enormous fire. For me personally that was a fireplace of a few kilos of fuel.”

Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, said he was ‘flabbergasted’ in what he'd seen and it would be a miracle that Grosjean, a father of three, was alive.

Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, the race winner for Mercedes, seemed to be thankful the halo had worked.

“I’m grateful the barrier didn’t slice his head up as well. It might happen to be a lot worse,” said the Briton.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner agreed: “Horrendous. An accidents like this, I couldn’t see a driver coming out of that,” he said.

“All credit to the FIA. For any car to pierce a steel barrier like this and for the driver to survive, with the fire and everything else, it’s all credit to the job that they’re doing. And they’re to keep pushing.

“You’re always learning within this business, not only about going faster.

“Romain Grosjean is a very, very fortunate young man tonight.”

Hamilton also paid credit towards the marshals and medical car team, the very first in this area.

“It's an amazing job the FIA have done. The marshals would be the unsung heroes every weekend that we get to go out, those guys are there to safeguard us plus they really are incredible with what they do,” he explained.