There is one reason and one reason only that Romain Grosjean survived last year's fiery F1 Bahrain crash: halo.
The Haas F1 driver was involved in a terrifying crash in last November's Bahrain Grand Prix that saw his car engulfed in flames and ripped in half. The 34-year-old somehow survived but did suffer significant burns to the back of his hands.
Over the weekend, French broadcaster Canal Plus shared a new animation of Grosjean's wreck, and it's a chilling watch. The footage illustrates just how imperative the Formula One halo safety device was in allowing Grosjean to leave the crash alive.
Take a look:
“I wasn’t for the halo some years ago but I think it’s the greatest thing we brought to Formula 1 and without it I wouldn’t be able to speak to you today,” Grosjean said after accident.
Unfortunately, Grosjean, who missed the rest of the 2020 F1 season, still is feeling the effects of the crash.
He has not regained full mobility in his hands and has not raced since the incident.
"It's two, two-and-a-half months now and two-and-a-half months that I am in pain," he recently told CNN Sport. "I could use painkillers, but psychologically I stopped painkillers, so I don't want to get back at it."
Grosjean's contract with Haas was not renewed after the season. The Frenchman signed with United States-based Dale Coyne Racing to compete in all 2021 IndyCar street and road course events.
His first testing session was scheduled for Monday.