Mercedes would have withdrawn from Bahrain GP had Grosjean's injuries been more serious
Mercedes would have withdrawn from Bahrain GP had Grosjean's injuries been more serious
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed he would have withdrawn the team's entry from the Bahrain Grand Prix had Romain Grosjean suffered more serious injuries in his lap one incident.
Grosjean had to free himself from his burning Haas which had split into two after piercing the metal retaining barrier on the exit of turn three. The Frenchman was subsequently taken to hospital with minor burns and suspected broken ribs, although team boss Guenther Steiner has since confirmed the driver has no broken bones.
When asked if he had considered withdrawing his Mercedes from the race in the wake of the accident and if he had consulted drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas on this, Wolff said: "We had a short conversation in his [Lewis'] room to discuss the accident but at that stage, we already saw that Romain was out of the car.
"I think, if god beware, he had been injured more than that, we would have probably pulled out of the race in this day and age. A man's health and life is much more important than racing."
Once it was made clear Grosjean was, for the most part, ok following the incident, harrowing images were circulated showing the recovery phase as he extracted himself from the wreckage with the assistance of Dr Ian Roberts.
But despite the graphic nature of the incident, Wolff insisted that Formula One Management had to be transparent following such situations in the event of a driver walking away.
"I think in the modern world, you are not able to hide anything anymore," he explained. "If FOM is not showing it, then someone else is going to have a mobile phone there and film so we need to be transparent.
"Those images were frightening and graphic but if you are not transparent as an organisation, you are just taking the risk that somebody else shows stuff that is beyond your control."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 team announce SHOCK signing weeks after rival departure
- 46 minutes ago
Former team boss quizzed on role in Newey's Red Bull exit
- 1 hour ago
RB reveal STRIKING new livery ahead of Miami GP
- 2 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: Insider claims F1 Academy and W Series couldn't co-exist
- 3 hours ago
Wolff delivers big verdict on Hamilton behaviour
- Today 18:57
Red Bull partner reveals HUGE F1 2026 entry details
- Today 17:57
Related news
Hamilton and Wolff centre stage as F1 shuts down New York for new emoji launch
F1 wonderkid in Imola TEST amid driver replacement reports
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860