Torquing Point: The 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix

Finley Crebolder
Torquing Point image

Torquing Point image

The biggest talking point of the Bahrain Grand Prix came on Lap 1 as the race became a mere after-thought to Romain Grosjean’s crash.

The latest episode of Torquing Point focuses on the incident, looking at how it impacts the sport and what it says about the safety standards.

Finley and Michelle start off by recalling what their first impressions were when the huge explosion was seen in the background of the television coverage.

The only thing more shocking than the incident itself was the fact that the Frenchman managed to emerge from the flames largely unscathed, and the pair then discuss just how that was the case. It was in large part due to the halo, which begs the question, has that debate finally been put to rest for good?

With Grosjean leaving the sport at the end of the season, they then ponder whether the world will see him in an F1 car again. Minor burns may have been the only injuries he sustained, but there’s more than just his physical wellbeing to consider.

There was, of course, a race that followed the crash, and it is discussed, however inconsequential it may have felt in comparison.

Alex Albon took the second podium of his season and career, finishing in P3, but given that he only did so because of Sergio Perez’s engine failure, is it really enough for Red Bull to justify keeping him rather than signing the Mexican? And would Helmut Marko and co be mad for doing so?

Mercedes’s number two driver, Valtteri Bottas, was even less impressive, struggling to recover after an early puncture and only managing P8. If he wants to challenge Lewis Hamilton for the title next season, he needs to gather some momentum in the final two races.

The first of said races will be at Bahrain again, but it will be on the outer-track layout. The PF1 team look ahead to that before giving their final thoughts on Grosjean’s crash, being thankful for the people that came to his rescue and, most importantly, that everything worked out alright in the end.

Head over to your provider of choice to listen to the latest episode or simply press play below.

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