BEVERLY HILLS, December 03, (THEWILL) – The governing body for auto racing, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), has begun “a detailed analysis” of French race driver Romain Grosjean’s fireball crash during Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
A highly forensic probe has been initiated by the FIA due to the severity of the accident to pursue two objectives: to understand the reasons behind what unfolded and to ensure additional safety improvements can be made.
Adam Baker, FIA safety director noted, “As with all serious accidents, we will analyse every aspect of this crash and collaborate with all parties involved.
“With so much data available in Formula 1, it allows us to accurately determine every element of what occurred and this work has already begun.
“We take this research very seriously and will follow a rigorous process to find out exactly what happened before proposing potential improvements.”
Typically, the FIA Safety Department investigates around 30 serious accidents in circuit racing worldwide each year and the investigation into Grosjean’s crash will follow the same process.
The FIA confirmed the investigation will look at all areas, including competitor safety devices such as the helmet, HANS, safety harness, protective clothing, survival cell, headrest, in-car extinguisher system and the Halo frontal cockpit protection.
There will also be further analysis that will include examining areas like chassis integrity and the safety barrier performance given the impact energy of 53g and trajectory. The roles of the track marshals and medical intervention team will be assessed as well.
For this purpose, the FIA will collaborate with all parties involved, including the Formula 1 promoter, the Haas team and the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, of which Grosjean is a director, and which has already been contacted for input.
The all-encompassing investigation will mean the FIA researchers will gather data from the various video streams, including a high-speed camera which faces the driver and films at 400 frames-per-second to reveal in slow motion what happened to Grosjean during the accident.
The in-car Accident Data Recorder will provide additional data, which will reveal the speed and forces on the car, and the in-ear accelerometers that are moulded to fit inside a driver’s ear canal to measure the movement of his head in a crash will also provide valuable data for the investigation.
The FIA has confirmed the investigation is expected to take around six-to-eight weeks to complete before findings are made public.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
