Warning: The information in this blog post deals with sensitive topics and may be uncomfortable to some readers.

Safety in Formula 1 is no joke. These drivers go in excess of 300km/h around a narrow track with tens of corners. They are sometimes separated by less than an inch and they drive in almost all conditions. The events at the Bahrain Grand Prix last Sunday were a harsh reminder of the risks these twenty men take every time they get into those cars.

I actually watched the crash happen live, and it was terrifying. The car should not just split in half. It was one of the scariest 30 seconds of my life, and I was watching it on TV. I cannot even begin to imagine the horror and terror that was felt by of all the marshals, other drivers, members of pit lane and anyone else on track. I don’t want to imagine what Romain was feeling and thank god he was relatively okay.  He will have a long road to recovery, not necessarily to bodily injuries, but to go through an experience like that can seriously mess with someone’s mind, and I wish him a speedy and healthy recovery.

So, for anyone who didn’t get to see the crash, let me catch you up to speed. On Sunday during lap one of the Bahrain grand prix, the Haas car of Romain Grosjean veered at an angle off of the track after clipping the front left tire of Daniil Kvyat’s Alpha Tauri. Grosjean’s car went straight into the steel barriers with a force of 53G, it split in half and then burst into a wall of flames. Grosjean was in the burning front half of his car for 28 seconds until he managed to get himself out and over the barrier, pulling off a miraculous escape. I will not be posting pictures of the crash, as it is not respectful to those involved. It is truly amazing how he walked away from that crash, because just three years ago that crash would have been fatal.

The Halo is a driver crash-protection system, and it is a curved titanium bar that rests above a driver’s head and is connected at three points to the car. The first tests were done in 2016 and July of 2017, but in the 2018 season the FIA made it mandatory in all Formula cars. It can hold a load up to 12 tones on top of it, so it is no joke. When it first was made mandatory there was an argument for both sides, but the halo has since proven itself. In the 2018 Belgium Grand Prix Fernando Alonso’s McLaren car became airborne and went over top of the Sauber of Charles Leclerc. The halo on Charles’ car was visibly damaged, but Charles himself was unharmed because of that bar.

After the events of Sunday’s race, all debate of the halo ends. If it wasn’t for that titanium bar, Romain Grosjean would have been decapitated by the barriers. The halo saved his life, and because of it he was able to go back home to his wife and kids, and there wasn’t another fatality added to the sport.

I would like to say thank you to all the Marshals and safety crew members who helped with the crash, to Medical Car driver Alan van der Merwe and Doctor Ian Roberts, and to the rest of the medical staff. I would also like to say thank you to the other 19 drivers who were brave enough to get back into their cars after watching something so terrible. Your bravery and the risks you take for our entertainment do not go unnoticed, and you are all amazing.

Get well soon Romain.