Yep. The accident was similar to the one a few years back which killed a driver when his car submarined the flat bed of the recovery vehicle. Without the halo, at the very least Grosjean would have been knocked unconscious and then unable to climb out, he would have burned to death. The marshals were very lucky too because there was a group of them just behind the barrier
True. Grosjean was lucky he wasn’t knocked out. I used to be a member of an emergency response team offshore and we regularly attended fire fighting training. The heat radiated from a fireball like that is incredible. The marshals did good and got stuck right in there. I think the safety car was straight in there too??
The "Halo" introduced onto the cockpit following Jules Bianchis death no doubt contributed to Grosjeans survival today.
Most people, including myself say they don't want to see people die in racing accidents. But if we're honest with ourselves, surely the reason why we watch these spectacles is because there's a possibility they can have an accident and suffer very serious consequences. If there was no chance of falling off or not crashing, would you watch it ?
Never understood this point, I watch it for the competition, love to see excellence in any field. Certainly don’t want to see anyone die. How do you explain the whole of the country watching Super Saturday in London 2012? Not much chance of Mo, Jessica Ennis et al getting killed on that track, people just loved the spectacle, the brilliance & the thrill of the moment. Do you watch Moto GP hoping Rossi’s going to get killed?
I think you’re missing the point. I’d say broke means that crashes add a bit of excitement. Which of course they do. How many times have you watched and rewatched every angle of that crash yesterday?? It was a fuck sight more interesting than the race when it finally got going. Who won?
My love of the sport ended shortly after the era of Prost and Senna .... and the "politics" that started to creep in . Arbitrary new regulations that seemed designed to nobble Lotus specifically , and stamp out the advantages from innovations that Chapman & Co came up with . .... just my two chetrum worth ....
But that’s not the point he’s making. He states very clearly: “surely the reason why we watch these spectacles is because there's a possibility they can have an accident and suffer very serious consequences” Not at any point do I watch sports to see that. Sure, a crash is fun to watch once you know that’s all it is but if you actually enjoyed watching Grosjean almost burn to death yesterday, just because for you, it “made the race more interesting” I don’t really know what to say to you.
No outrage from me Mary, I’m agreeing with your point that crashes are fun to watch (once you know) but that is not the main point of broke’s original post as you can see from his words & I definitely do not watch it to see someone suffer “very serious consequences” That’s just a weird thing to say if you claim to be a sports fan
Thank you Mary. It's the potential for someone to have an almighty shunt that makes it exciting to watch. Anybody, when it comes to exciting sports like any Motorsport event, who says they do not watch it for the possible accidents and shunts are I think not honest with themselves. Like MH mentioned, how many times was that accident shown yesterday and again today, please don't tell me people watch it for the tactics and tyre changing I don't want to see anybody die or get seriously injured in any sporting event, I'm not a sadist, but the reason I watch it, and I suspect a lot of you watch it is and what makes it so exciting is that the potential was and is there for it to happen. And watching these nutters pushing that envelope to the absolute edge and sometimes beyond with subsequent consequences is what makes it exciting to watch and sometimes if your lucky enough, to participate in.
Yes. As huge crashes with serious consequences are infrequent, its unlikely they are the major reason why millions of people watch the races.
@broke, that is a very sanitised version of what you first said. I guess we have to agree to disagree. I don’t deny that a good crash is great to watch, but up to a point. I watch all sports for the edge, but for me it’s the competitive edge, & yes the tactics, not the “must have a life threatening crash to make it worth watching” edge that you seem to need. Anyhoos ‘tis the season to be jolly...
Sorry Jez, your wrong, tell me, what makes it exciting for you to watch, please don’t tell me it’s because Redbull can change tyres in 2.5 secs. What makes F1 or GP exciting to watch by millions, is the potential for an accident to happen, why is it that normally the most exciting lap in a F1 race, well it’s not normally even a lap but the first 2 or 3 bends. I don’t believe or want someone to die or seriously get hurt for me to enjoy it, but because it’s there is the reason why I find it exciting and probably if people were honest, thrilling to watch. If it was as safe as a Scalextric race, how many people would watch it ? Even Lewis mentioned the drivers are putting their lives on the line every time they race. And I agree with his assessment and is the reason why I find it thrilling to watch, but I do not actually want anyone to die.
I've always seen the risk as part of the spectacle. You're watching someone do something amazing (obviously not talking about f1 here) but say irish road racing, or base jumping, or freestyle MX (fuck yeahhhh) I don't watch it to see people get hurt. You watch it knowing full well how close these guys are to absolute shittery. Cheating death really. My opinion anyway
Broke, for people who follow the strategy, follow the personalities, the gradual accumulation of points, who have an almost tribal affiliation with a team, F1 probably has a very similar attraction to all the other team sports. All these traits are shown by football fans every week. No one dies during football matches, ice dancing/ skating, gymnastics or cycling but millions still watch them. If the possibility of a crash is the main reason you watch F1, thats down to you, but I disagree that it is the reason why most fans tune in to watch each race. Regular viewers of F1 know that "huge crashes with serious consequences" are extremely rare. On the other hand, a lack of crashing is possibly why others say F1 is now boring, presumably because its missing the element that attracts them?
“There are only 3 sports - boxing*, motor racing and mountaineering. The rest are merely games” Ernest Hemingway * Or “bullfighting”, depending on the source Nobody wants to see anyone killed or seriously injured but the possibility that they might be adds to the excitement and the admiration we feel for those who take part.
Viewers of F1 who have any idea of what is happening are aware that an accident is an ever present possibility. @Advikaz in post #281 describes it well.
