FIA Justify Showing Romain Grosjean’s Crash Repeatedly After Ricciardo’s Outcry

The Formula 1 governing body has come under criticism for their extensive coverage of Romain Grosjean after his crash. The Haas driver crashed at the turn 3 barrier in the opening lap of Bahrain GP. Not only did that disintegrate the car into two pieces, but it also caused a massive fire.

The sight of the car and the driver engulfed in flames was terrifying. Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo wasn’t happy with the consistent replays, “The way the incident of Grosjean was broadcast over and over, the replays over and over, it was completely disrespectful and inconsiderate for his family, for all of our families watching.”

FIA defend Romain Grosjean crash coverage

However, the sporting body thinks otherwise. In their opinion, they were following all the protocols, stating that there was no actual coverage being shown to the viewers until the driver got to safety. Defending themselves, an FIA spokesperson said –

“No footage is shown until there is confirmation that the driver is OK. On this occasion, at this point, F1 showed Romain with the ambulance, helmet off, and walking with aid.

“It shows no replays of an accident until there are approval and confirmation from race control/FIA that all persons are safe – driver, marshals, and doctors. Replays then started.”

Romain’s Boss also chimes in

Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner also gave his two cents on the matter. He agrees with the FIA and thinks that they were right in telecasting the crash as the Frenchman was safe. Adding that it was the correct call, he said –

“My opinion is if it ended luckily, and nothing bad happened, why not show it to make sure people understand?

“We wanted to get the news out as soon as possible to the people, Romain is OK. Just because it’s difficult to contact family, friends, people who know us, people of the team.”

Were they right with the Grosjean crash footage?

Yes, they were. The driver was already out of harm’s way when the viewers saw the crash on TV; they showed no footage until he came out of the wreckage. Moreover, his friends, family, and fans deserve transparency.

What better way than to show it on the TV itself? Laying it all out in the open. It was also vital to highlight the bravery of the marshals and the importance of the Halo device to fans. Hence, they made the right decision this time.