Romain Grosjean celebrates two birthdays and almost celebrates with more emphasis the second, the one that gave him science applied to Formula 1. For the French driver, it is already more important on November 29, 2020 when he left alive among the flames on the circuit of Bahrain than on April 17, 1986 when he came to the world in Geneva (Switzerland). A year ago, on the Sakhir racetrack in the far reaches of the desert, he leapt from death to life in 27 harrowing seconds that he remained amid the flames that devoured his Haas car engulfed in a ball of fire. With a cake and an image that he published on his social networks, Grosjean recalled that he is
I live not by miracle or chance, but by the safety research and development that prevails in F1.
In his celebration he wrote «November 29, 3.30 pm. Happy Birthday” next to the hashtag ‘Fénix’, Alluding to the mythological bird that was able to control fire and be reborn from the ashes after death. Some hands with traces of burns and a prophylactic glove that he takes off from time to time to caress his two children are the consequences that the pilot, already separated from F1 and protagonist in the IndyCar, has been dragging, where he has achieved three podiums this year with Dale Coyne Racing.
“For me there is a before and after November 29, 2020. You cannot go through a similar experience and remain the same. I like even more many small aspects of life, like the time that I spend with the family. We think of life as something that is taken for granted, without realizing that it can disappear very easily, “Romain Grosjean confessed to former world champion Nico Rosberg on his YouTube channel.
After the terrifying accident at Grosjean, safety has become even more the key element of action for those responsible for Formula 1 and the International Federation. Jules Bianchi’s death in 2014 led to creating a guardian angel, the halo, a curved T-shaped crown made up of three titanium bars, a common element in the aerospace industry, which is installed in the front part of the cockpit. The halo withstands the impact of twelve tons, like a double-decker bus, and protects the most exposed and sensitive part of the pilots, the head.
The monocoque of the formulas, known by the English term copkit, is the other defense instrument for pilots. A hermetic survival cell, where the pilot takes a seat and which is made of carbon fiber. The teams began to build them with increasingly resistant structures, in such a way that the drivers are embedded in an almost unbreakable cabin. For the cell to be homologated, the pilot must be able to leave it in less than ten seconds.
This passenger compartment of the car, the halo, the construction of the car, the custom-made helmet, the flame retardant suit produced in nomex capable of holding up to 800 degrees between the flames for eleven seconds or the ‘Hans’ neck protector are the last lines of defense for the pilot, barriers to mitigate the consequences of an accident that has already occurred. To prevent the big blows, the F1 has a manual of mechanisms. It is more useful to separate them from sport and link their action to an industry and job security. There are many people working in confined spaces with flammable products, pressure vessels and electrical equipment that end up concentrating on a pilot, a car and a circuit.
In all races there is a list of stewards who move around the track with highly visible clothing, operators who handle cranes, signs, flags … Operational safety is strengthened with the so-called curfew, that forces the team workers to rest a minimum of eight hours, leave the paddock and not lengthen endless days of work in the garages.
Increasingly, the racing director (Michael Masi) resorts to to the safety cars and the VSC (virtual safety car, which neutralizes the race at 40% less speed per lap). The medical car that closes the race at the start transports the professionals who saved Grosjean’s life.
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