The Crash

Grosjean’s Haas car collided with AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat, sending him off the track and into the barriers at a high speed. The impact was so severe that the car split into two, with the front section penetrating the barrier, and erupting into flames. This sort of crash is very uncommon, that is what made it so terrifying.

The most remarkable aspect of this incident was Grosjean’s miraculous escape. After freeing himself from the constraints inside the cockpit, he hoisted himself out of the fire and climbed over the safety barrier. The prompt response of the track marshals and the effectiveness of the safety features in place played a vital role in preventing a more tragic outcome. The marshalls did an excellent job rushing to help Grosjean out of the flaming cockpit as well as extinguishing the fire with fire extinguishers as soon as possible.

A full investigation by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) was taken out of the cause of the fireball that was caused in the crash. Their statement read – 

“The car suffered extensive damage during the impact including separation of the power train assembly from the survival cell. The fuel tank inspection hatch on the left-hand side of the chassis was dislodged and the engine fuel supply connection was torn from the fuel tank ‘safety bladder’; both providing primary paths for the escape of fuel from the tank.”

“The high voltage Energy Recovery System (ERS) battery was significantly damaged, with some parts of the ERS battery assembly remaining with the powertrain and others remaining attached to the survival cell. The fire was ignited during the final moments of the barrier impact, starting from the rear of the survival cell and progressing forwards towards the driver as the fire grew.”