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Grosjean joins Mercedes for French Grand Prix (exhibition)


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#1 FirstnameLastname

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Posted 05 May 2021 - 18:34

https://www.motorspo...nch-gp/6502747/

Bit of good news for RoGro, and a nicer way to finish his F1 experience than the footnote he left on previously.

Some exhibition laps at the French Grand Prix in the 2019 car, and then a test day later that month.

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#2 allaboard70

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Posted 05 May 2021 - 20:27

Very good news !! :) 



#3 IrvTheSwerve

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Posted 05 May 2021 - 20:48

Well they certainly picked the right track in terms of runoff...  :rotfl:  :kiss:



#4 PlatenGlass

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Posted 05 May 2021 - 20:52

There was an interview with him on BBC Breakfast this morning. Go to about 2:33:45:

 

https://www.bbc.co.u...6v5tb/breakfast



#5 MKSixer

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Posted 05 May 2021 - 21:01

This is wonderful news.  The Phoenix definitely deserves and kudos to Toto and Mercedes for making this happen.  This is an organization with it's priorities straight.  Nicely done!!



#6 Ross Stonefeld

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Posted 05 May 2021 - 21:10

Guy caused a massive accident through his own incompetence, which turned into a near fatality due to the FIA being asleep at the wheel again on safety. Talk about failing upwards. But hey, we gotta have content for the social. Cannot wait for the Drive to Survive extended episode. 



#7 Fastcake

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Posted 05 May 2021 - 21:27

Grosjean is probably the first person to crash a F1 car that hard and end up with a net win. Certainly since he wasn't exactly going to be missed before the accident.

 

Fair enough for Mercedes keeping their word and setting this up.



#8 HeadFirst

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 03:34

I suspect this will soon devolve into an anti-Grosjean thread, so before it does I'll just say that I always found him to be a likeable character, often fast (but prone to errors), who worked hard for his team despite their dismal chances. I respect his determination, and wish him well in IndyCar. I think the French GP thing is an unexpected and welcome effort on the part of Mercedes.



#9 Gary Davies

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 04:02

I suspect this will soon devolve into an anti-Grosjean thread, so before it does I'll just say that I always found him to be a likeable character, often fast (but prone to errors), who worked hard for his team despite their dismal chances. I respect his determination, and wish him well in IndyCar. I think the French GP thing is an unexpected and welcome effort on the part of Mercedes.

Well said. I share your fear of it descending to a Grosjean pile-on.

 

I gain the impression from those on the inside of F1 that this fella is a darn sight better than many of the armchair experts reckon. What does seem clear is that he is a thoroughly decent and honest man, unafraid to talk about his problems in F1. A character with more colour than the relative blandness of many of his fellow F1 drivers.

 

I wish him well at the Paul Ricard weekend and for his ongoing motor racing career. 



#10 AustinF1

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 06:22

It's all very interesting, imho. No matter what PR bs they put out there, Merc aren't spending those bucks out of the kindness of their hearts.



#11 PayasYouRace

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 06:40

Guy caused a massive accident through his own incompetence, which turned into a near fatality due to the FIA being asleep at the wheel again on safety. Talk about failing upwards. But hey, we gotta have content for the social. Cannot wait for the Drive to Survive extended episode.


Maybe we’ve become a bit sensitive with current safety standards. I wouldn’t class a driver getting out of the car under his own power with nothing but burns to the hands as a “near fatality”.

To put that on the level of crashes like, say, Niki Lauda’s, is just hyperbole.

#12 IrvTheSwerve

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 06:40

It's all very interesting, imho. No matter what PR bs they put out there, Merc aren't spending those bucks out of the kindness of their hearts.

 

Wouldn't be surprised at all if there is some kind of reserve/sim driver offer on the horizon.

 

I've always been pretty neutral on Grosjean, he's clearly got some pace but is nothing special, and is a bit error prone as has been seen over the last few years.

 

It's interesting to see the shift of opinion on him since his Bahrain crash. He was slated by much of the media regularly, but now there's a bit of a love-in.



#13 PayasYouRace

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 06:43

Good for him, but I fear this might be overblown to the level of Zanardi returning to the cockpit to finish his last laps at the Lausitzring.

Great publicity for Mercedes, and that’s why they’re doing it, but there’s a lot of hyperbole surrounding Romain’s crash (see my previous comment) that doesn’t sit well with me. Frankly the worst part of it was the TV coverage keeping us in the dark long after he had got himself out of the fire by himself.

#14 Jovanotti

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 07:17

Guy caused a massive accident through his own incompetence, which turned into a near fatality due to the FIA being asleep at the wheel again on safety. Talk about failing upwards. But hey, we gotta have content for the social. Cannot wait for the Drive to Survive extended episode.

Indeed, nobody's talking about how he's caused the mess all by himself with a Grosjean signature move. Good for him that he gets to drive the Mercedes, but they're milking it all a bit too much for my taste.

#15 ARTGP

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 07:28

Maybe we’ve become a bit sensitive with current safety standards. I wouldn’t class a driver getting out of the car under his own power with nothing but burns to the hands as a “near fatality”.

To put that on the level of crashes like, say, Niki Lauda’s, is just hyperbole.

 

You are focusing on the end result though. It was pure luck that he did not get trapped inside that car.  A coin toss deciding that the collision and deformation around him was in a such a manner that he could escape. Nobody designed an F1 car and an armco to go for a collision like that and have the driver survive 10 times out of 10. So yeah, I'd class it a near fatality.


Edited by ARTGP, 06 May 2021 - 07:29.


#16 absinthedude

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 07:32

I'm not going to piss on Romain. I'm glad he gets closure and a better end to the F1 chapter of his life. And kudos to Mercedes for helping it happen. I hope Grosjean sets some good times, while having fun. 



#17 PayasYouRace

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 07:34

You are focusing on the end result though. It was pure luck that he did not get trapped inside that car. A coin toss deciding that the collision and deformation around him was in a such a manner that he could escape. Nobody designed an F1 car and an armco to go for a collision like that and have the driver survive 10 times out of 10. So yeah, I'd class it a near fatality.


It’s not pure luck though. He was wearing safety gear that meant he could survive being trapped in a fire. The cockpit openings are mandated to be big enough to allow a driver to escape.

I agree that it was scary, and it had some things gone differently then the result could have been different. It wasn’t perfect. Improvements can always be made. But it wasn’t pure chance that decided the result. It was a combination of numerous safety features that contributed to his survival. He didn’t nearly die. He burned his hands as he walked away. Calling it near fatal is hyperbole.

#18 ARTGP

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 07:35

It’s not pure luck though. He was wearing safety gear that meant he could survive being trapped in a fire. The cockpit openings are mandated to be big enough to allow a driver to escape.

I agree that it was scary, and it had some things gone differently then the result could have been different. It wasn’t perfect. Improvements can always be made. But it wasn’t pure chance that decided the result. It was a combination of numerous safety features that contributed to his survival. He didn’t nearly die. He burned his hands as he walked away. Calling it near fatal is hyperbole.

 

You don't survive indefinitely in a fire with the safety gear in F1...Why do you think his hands were burned...I would hope nobody goes out and tries to test that theory...Of course F1 has procedures to response and put the fire out in a reasonable time. And you always hope that's the case, but you cannot guarantee it. Also, even if the cockpit openings are large enough, if a tire or the armco is physically obstructing the gaps in the Halo, then he's trapped.  The openings are openings, until debris from the crash decides they are no longer openings.


Edited by ARTGP, 06 May 2021 - 08:01.


#19 IrvTheSwerve

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 08:03

It’s not pure luck though. He was wearing safety gear that meant he could survive being trapped in a fire. The cockpit openings are mandated to be big enough to allow a driver to escape.

I agree that it was scary, and it had some things gone differently then the result could have been different. It wasn’t perfect. Improvements can always be made. But it wasn’t pure chance that decided the result. It was a combination of numerous safety features that contributed to his survival. He didn’t nearly die. He burned his hands as he walked away. Calling it near fatal is hyperbole.

 

There is much overreaction from F1 fans to modern crashes but this one was pretty nasty to be fair. All it would have taken was a bit of armco to be obstructing the halo and Grosjean would have at least had Lauda-esque scarring. His hand looks worse than I thought it would. 

 

It's all if's and but's, but if Grosjean was stuck in the car for another minute or two, who knows what the result would have been. Thankfully the armco didn't obstruct him too much.

 

Edit: What ARTGP said, lol.


Edited by IrvTheSwerve, 06 May 2021 - 08:03.


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#20 PayasYouRace

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 08:25

But that’s not what happened. That’s what could have happened if things had gone even worse. It wasn’t near-fatal.

#21 Hrco42

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 08:28

I never really had an opinion of Grosjean, he was just there, midfield driver like many others who I would not remember for long after they retired. I guess it was like that for most people, and the ones who did have an opinion, I guess it was more bad than good.

And I find it funny how this crash totally shifted an opinion about him and turned him into an F1 celebrity. If it didn't happen, nobody would care about him anymore and only the hardcore F1 fans would know he's driving in IndyCar now. And look at him now, everybody likes him and he gets to drive the title winning car.

If ever somebody asks you what does "Going out with a bang" mean, just show him Grosjean :)



#22 absinthedude

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 11:16

But that’s not what happened. That’s what could have happened if things had gone even worse. It wasn’t near-fatal.

 

The injuries were not "near fatal" but the severity of the accident put his life at great risk. 

 

I never really had an opinion of Grosjean, he was just there, midfield driver like many others who I would not remember for long after they retired. I guess it was like that for most people, and the ones who did have an opinion, I guess it was more bad than good.

And I find it funny how this crash totally shifted an opinion about him and turned him into an F1 celebrity. If it didn't happen, nobody would care about him anymore and only the hardcore F1 fans would know he's driving in IndyCar now. And look at him now, everybody likes him and he gets to drive the title winning car.

If ever somebody asks you what does "Going out with a bang" mean, just show him Grosjean :)

 

I don't feet that's fair.  in his Lotus days he was fighting for grand prix wins on several occasions and must have netted 10 podiums. Then when Haas were newcomers he instantly gave them respectability with a string of strong results. Of course he'll also be remembered for his wayward side, and with Haas falling down the order those with shorter memories seem to linger on this aspect alone. I don't think he would have been forgotten had he not exited so spectacularly, in the way we don't forget Stefan Johannson for example. 



#23 Ross Stonefeld

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 11:32

Maybe we’ve become a bit sensitive with current safety standards. I wouldn’t class a driver getting out of the car under his own power with nothing but burns to the hands as a “near fatality”.

To put that on the level of crashes like, say, Niki Lauda’s, is just hyperbole

 

You're only claiming Lauda because of the fire theme, there are plenty of other smaller/simpler accidents than can kill you. Basic screw ups can end a life. cf Bianchi. 

 

It was near fatal because they were racing with lax safety. The wall setup was inexcusable, regardless of the eventual fire(which, frankly, shouldn't have happened either).


Edited by Ross Stonefeld, 06 May 2021 - 11:34.


#24 PayasYouRace

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 11:39

You're only claiming Lauda because of the fire theme, there are plenty of other smaller/simpler accidents than can kill you. Basic screw ups can end a life. cf Bianchi.

It was near fatal because they were racing with lax safety. The wall setup was inexcusable, regardless of the eventual fire(which, frankly, shouldn't have happened either).


Lauda was an obvious parallel. What I’m trying to say is that for an accident to be near-fatal, one should nearly die. Walking away from the crash isn’t that.

#25 Ross Stonefeld

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 11:44

It had far more potential to be fatal, given the numerous safety failings, than any accident since the last one that killed a driver. I don't mean we went from 10% to 15% but at least 50. 

 

Besides, the hyperbole is why he's a Hashtag Hero and getting to drive the fastest car in F1. Live by the sword...uh....die by the sword. 



#26 IrvTheSwerve

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 11:58

Lauda was an obvious parallel. What I’m trying to say is that for an accident to be near-fatal, one should nearly die. Walking away from the crash isn’t that.

How many injuries are acceptable to be called ‘near fatal’?  :D

 

Burns? Broken bones? Unconsciousness? Bleeding?  :p
 

What about people who miraculously walk out of some pretty bad plane crashes? Not near-fatal?


Edited by IrvTheSwerve, 06 May 2021 - 12:00.


#27 gillesfan76

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 12:26

Maybe we’ve become a bit sensitive with current safety standards. I wouldn’t class a driver getting out of the car under his own power with nothing but burns to the hands as a “near fatality”.

To put that on the level of crashes like, say, Niki Lauda’s, is just hyperbole.

 

I agree with you, it wasn’t a near fatality but the definition is somewhat subjective. Several decades ago I was driving down the highway at 100+ kph when a log came off a log truck, skipping onto my lane with my car and log approaching each other at a frightening rate of knots. I swerved a bit more onto the shoulder and the log cleanly missed my car and I vividly remember it sailing inches past my side window. I went home that evening and told my wife “I almost died today” and recounted the event. To which she replied “You don’t have a scratch on you, your car is unscathed, how could you have ‘almost died’?” Yet to this day I can’t shake the feeling of having almost died that day.

 

Coming back to Romain, the difference between a near fatality or worse and not is simply the fact he wasn’t knocked unconscious by the impact. The safety gear drivers wear, nomex etc is quite good in a fire. But there really isn’t much to prevent inhalation of hot gases, straight into the lungs. Fortunately, Romani didn’t lose consciousness due to a combination of car safety, armo design, his fitness and more than a bit of a luck.

 

I’m glad he’s getting an opportunity to drive the Mercedes. Not because it’s so great to drive last year’s Mercedes with demo tyres in an exhibition, but that he has one last positive experience with an F1 car to finish his F1 career.



#28 f1rules

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 12:32

ofcourse its an merc marketing excercise, but i dont care, Romain gets his final run in front of his home crowd and merc make it happen and get some SoMe credit, i think its a very nice solution!



#29 goldenboy

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 12:49

Ugh, too much negativity in here sometimes.

Don't see how anyone could have a problem with this. If he can increase his branding through something bad that happened to him, that can help with his young family, then good for him.

#30 Hrco42

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 12:54

 

I don't feet that's fair.  in his Lotus days he was fighting for grand prix wins on several occasions and must have netted 10 podiums. Then when Haas were newcomers he instantly gave them respectability with a string of strong results. Of course he'll also be remembered for his wayward side, and with Haas falling down the order those with shorter memories seem to linger on this aspect alone. I don't think he would have been forgotten had he not exited so spectacularly, in the way we don't forget Stefan Johannson for example. 

 

Maybe you're right that he was better than I said. His Lotus years were also the years my interest for F1 wasn't high so I probably missed his best drives. Still, I think the fact remains he was mostly unknown to the general public prior to the accident and now he is, well not as famous as Schumacher or Hamilton, but still much more well known than before
 



#31 BRG

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 13:02

Grosjean was a disappointment to me.  Seeing him in GP2, I thought he had the real potential to be a WC.  The speed was definitely there during his early Lotus days, but it all seemed to ebb away as he became predictably unpredictable.



#32 Red5ive

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 13:08

Well said. I share your fear of it descending to a Grosjean pile-on.

 

I gain the impression from those on the inside of F1 that this fella is a darn sight better than many of the armchair experts reckon. What does seem clear is that he is a thoroughly decent and honest man, unafraid to talk about his problems in F1. A character with more colour than the relative blandness of many of his fellow F1 drivers.

 

I wish him well at the Paul Ricard weekend and for his ongoing motor racing career. 

 

 

So good in fact no other F1 team besides Haas wanted him - and then even they didnt.....

 

Pointless "look at us" PR stunt from Merc.



#33 ANF

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 13:13

Coming back to Romain, the difference between a near fatality or worse and not is simply the fact he wasn’t knocked unconscious by the impact. The safety gear drivers wear, nomex etc is quite good in a fire. But there really isn’t much to prevent inhalation of hot gases, straight into the lungs. Fortunately, Romani didn’t lose consciousness due to a combination of car safety, armo design, his fitness and more than a bit of a luck.

Some helmets apparently have air filters now. Grosjean's did anyway. "The main ventilation channels are fitted with air filters which reduce the airflow, especially when the helmet is not moving. No airflow on the helmet means no air goes through the channels," said Bell CEO Stephane Cohen. From:
 

Something else that helped hit: The helmets have air filters. Nothing came inside, so he could breathe normally. If he hadn't been able to, he likely would have lost consciouness...

Air filters in Grosjean's crash helmet bought him time in Bahrain escape - Motor Sport Magazine



#34 Burai

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 14:03

I never really had an opinion of Grosjean, he was just there, midfield driver like many others who I would not remember for long after they retired. I guess it was like that for most people, and the ones who did have an opinion, I guess it was more bad than good.

And I find it funny how this crash totally shifted an opinion about him and turned him into an F1 celebrity. If it didn't happen, nobody would care about him anymore and only the hardcore F1 fans would know he's driving in IndyCar now. And look at him now, everybody likes him and he gets to drive the title winning car.

If ever somebody asks you what does "Going out with a bang" mean, just show him Grosjean :)

 

It depends whether you see racing drivers as human beings or purely as commodities, who have no further value beyond their level of performance. No more than any other component on his car. He isn't just a driver, to some he is a husband, a father, a son, a colleague or a friend. People are happy for Romain because he went through something terrifying and narrowly emerged the other side relatively unscathed in a sport with a long history of far too many people simply not lucky enough to emerge at all.



#35 PayasYouRace

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 14:12

How many injuries are acceptable to be called ‘near fatal’? :D

Burns? Broken bones? Unconsciousness? Bleeding? :p

What about people who miraculously walk out of some pretty bad plane crashes? Not near-fatal?


Look up the concept of triage and think about where burns to the hands would lie on a scale of life-threatening injuries.

#36 jjcale

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 14:18

Ugh, too much negativity in here sometimes.

Don't see how anyone could have a problem with this. If he can increase his branding through something bad that happened to him, that can help with his young family, then good for him.

 

Yes, the heir to the banking fortune needs to get all he can out of his short F1 career to be sure of being able to feed his young family when he hangs up his racing gloves.  

 

/Sarc

 

 

I have been a big Grosjean fan ... but I wish he would just retire already ... I am genuinely afraid that he is going to serious hurt himself one day. 

 

What Ross said is very harsh... but its true.



#37 SilverArrow31

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 14:49

What he did in Bahrain was the exact same move that got him a race ban in 2012.... and he is being rewarded for it!

 

I wonder if the reaction would of been different if his swerve had caused Kvyat's car to crash in that location and burst into flames?

 

I keep watching race highlights... I keep watching Grojean crash, I keep hearing him blame anyone and anything but himself for them,

 

One more crash, as horrific as it was, hasn't changed my opinion of him and I don't understand how it has for so many others


Edited by SilverArrow31, 06 May 2021 - 15:16.


#38 MKSixer

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 14:59

Maybe we’ve become a bit sensitive with current safety standards. I wouldn’t class a driver getting out of the car under his own power with nothing but burns to the hands as a “near fatality”.

To put that on the level of crashes like, say, Niki Lauda’s, is just hyperbole.

To say, "a possibly fatal situation" would probably be most accurate.  

 

The great thing is that he is still with his family, racing, and continuing to find his place in the racing world.  



#39 MKSixer

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 15:05

Yes, the heir to the banking fortune needs to get all he can out of his short F1 career to be sure of being able to feed his young family when he hangs up his racing gloves.  

 

/Sarc

 

 

I have been a big Grosjean fan ... but I wish he would just retire already ... I am genuinely afraid that he is going to serious hurt himself one day. 

 

What Ross said is very harsh... but its true.

I have, as well.  He has been viciously fast over one lap but the brain fade has been his undoing.  I truly hope he has a blemish free career in Indy cars.  I was there for the Bordais crash in practice at Indy in 2017 and it was close to the most horrific thing I had seen in a long time.  My then-GF just started crying on the spot and asked to leave the circuit but got it together a few minutes later. 

 

The stakes are much higher, IMHO, on Super-speedways.  



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#40 Hrco42

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 15:08

It depends whether you see racing drivers as human beings or purely as commodities, who have no further value beyond their level of performance. No more than any other component on his car. He isn't just a driver, to some he is a husband, a father, a son, a colleague or a friend. People are happy for Romain because he went through something terrifying and narrowly emerged the other side relatively unscathed in a sport with a long history of far too many people simply not lucky enough to emerge at all.

Why are you inverting my words to make it sound like I said he should have died for our entertainment? I just said it was funny how this accident two races before the end of his career made him more famous than probably everything else he did throughout his career, at least in the eyes of the general public



#41 AustinF1

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 15:22

There is much overreaction from F1 fans to modern crashes but this one was pretty nasty to be fair. All it would have taken was a bit of armco to be obstructing the halo and Grosjean would have at least had Lauda-esque scarring. His hand looks worse than I thought it would. 

 

It's all if's and but's, but if Grosjean was stuck in the car for another minute or two, who knows what the result would have been. Thankfully the armco didn't obstruct him too much.

 

Edit: What ARTGP said, lol.

As a firefighter, the way I've thought of the incident was that once the car impacted the barrier the way it did, rupturing the fuel bladder, everything had to basically go perfectly for Grosjean to escape it alive. It did. One more minute in that car, and he likely does not come out of it alive, imho. Most of the safety features of the car & his PPE did their jobs, but a key factor was the breeze apparently blowing in just such a way that it kept the hot smoke and other hot gases of combustion away from Grosjean's face. These gases can knock you down & out instantly & cause major, debilitating lung injury that quickly as well. 

 

Some helmets apparently have air filters now. Grosjean's did anyway. "The main ventilation channels are fitted with air filters which reduce the airflow, especially when the helmet is not moving. No airflow on the helmet means no air goes through the channels," said Bell CEO Stephane Cohen. From:
 

The filters don't cool the hot gases though and likely don't filter out all the nasty products of combustion present in auto fires. Grosjean was in an IDLH atmosphere (Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health). The filters no doubt helped some, but there's more than a little bit of good luck involved in Grosjean not sustaining significant, possibly lethal inhalation injuries.


Edited by AustinF1, 06 May 2021 - 18:28.


#42 Dan333SP

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 15:41

Boy, there sure are a lot of semantics at play in this thread. Was the accident near-fatal? Based on injuries, no, but could that crash have killed him if 100 things didn't go exactly right? Yes. Potentially fatal accident is a fair descriptor, certainly it was the most dramatic accident any of us have ever seen a driver walk away from, and I saw the Kubica 2007 Montreal crash happen right in front of me. 



#43 PayasYouRace

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 15:50

To say, "a possibly fatal situation" would probably be most accurate.

The great thing is that he is still with his family, racing, and continuing to find his place in the racing world.


Yes that’s a much better way of putting it.

#44 AustinF1

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 15:55

Boy, there sure are a lot of semantics at play in this thread. Was the accident near-fatal? Based on injuries, no, but could that crash have killed him if 100 things didn't go exactly right? Yes. Potentially fatal accident is a fair descriptor, certainly it was the most dramatic accident any of us have ever seen a driver walk away from, and I saw the Kubica 2007 Montreal crash happen right in front of me. 

Yep. Near-fatal injuries? No. Luckily. Thankfully. Near-fatal incident? IMHO yes.



#45 FNG

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 18:21

Certainly don't see the point in all this. It seems a bit, dunno, pathetic and sad? It's almost insulting to him turning him into charity case.

 

But i do like the guy though. He had a pretty decent career and can hold his head high. Sure he had some accidents but he also had some podiums and some speed.  I just don't see the point in this meaningless test. Seems like charity.



#46 absinthedude

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 18:30

Why is it sad and pathetic? Romain has stated unequivocably that he wants another opportunity to drive an F1 car and would welcome an offer from a team other than Haas....to test or demonstrate their car. Merc have come up with a way to give him what he wanted. He's a human being who has been through a traumatic experience and this will help give him closure, as well as being a "feel good" story. What's the big problem people have with this?



#47 AustinF1

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 18:40

Test Driver may be his true calling, actually. The guy's always been quick. I assume he also can give good feedback to the engineers. His 'video game' moves on the track in competitive situations, including this last one, are what have held him back. 


Edited by AustinF1, 07 May 2021 - 21:21.


#48 noikeee

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 18:42

Boy, there sure are a lot of semantics at play in this thread. Was the accident near-fatal? Based on injuries, no, but could that crash have killed him if 100 things didn't go exactly right? Yes. Potentially fatal accident is a fair descriptor, certainly it was the most dramatic accident any of us have ever seen a driver walk away from, and I saw the Kubica 2007 Montreal crash happen right in front of me.


Yep. I think all of us watching live were convinced he was gone. Scariest thing I've watched the last few years.

#49 absinthedude

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 18:52

Yep. I think all of us watching live were convinced he was gone. Scariest thing I've watched the last few years.

 

At the time I felt it was like a combination of Helmut Koennig and Ronnie Peterson's accidents rolled into one. It was sickening to watch, and as someone else has already said....the fact that he walked away was down to 100 things working when another 100 had already gone wrong. Romain was facing death, there is little doubt. He was lucky not to suffer inhalation injuries to his lungs, lucky he wasn't knocked out, lucky he could extricate himself, lucky the wind blew the way it did, lucky the rescue and fire crew arrived when they did and did their jobs...lucky the medical centre cared for his hand wounds impeccably.....and so on. He was perilously close to death or being maimed. He'll carry the scars for life, but at least he is fully functional. 

 

And that is traumatising. If nothing else this is what Romain wants, for his last go in an F1 car to be something more positive. It will be healing for him. I fail to see why some people are pouring scorn on this. It's a human story as much as anything else. Nobody is claiming he's contracted as a test driver or partaking in an important development role. 



#50 goldenboy

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Posted 06 May 2021 - 23:40

Yes, the heir to the banking fortune needs to get all he can out of his short F1 career to be sure of being able to feed his young family when he hangs up his racing gloves.

/Sarc


I have been a big Grosjean fan ... but I wish he would just retire already ... I am genuinely afraid that he is going to serious hurt himself one day.

What Ross said is very harsh... but its true.

Oh I wasn't aware if any of that. I still don't see why anyone would really care enough to post sarcastically but maybe I just have better things to do with my life.