Doug Nye: F1 fires have so often ended tragically
“Erupting fireballs were followed, so often, by the worst possible news”
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The year 2020 will generally be remembered with horror. However, for those following Formula 1 it was nearly even worse. Romain Grosjean’s light injuries after his fiery Bahrain GP crash seemed almost miraculous. Any experienced enthusiasts of a certain age will recall such an erupting fireball being followed, so often, by the worst possible news…
Double Indy-winner Bill Vukovich, his oval-track rivals and successors Ed Elisian, Tony Bettenhausen, Eddie Sachs, Swede Savage, Dave MacDonald – and more – perished in burning cars. In Formula 1, Stuart Lewis-Evans, Lorenzo Bandini, John Taylor, Jo Schlesser, Piers Courage, Jo Siffert and Roger Williamson met similar, sickeningly public fates. Peter Revson and Elio de Angelis both died in F1-testing barrier accidents, accompanied by fire – and of course Pedro Rodríguez and Paul Hawkins suffered massive similar accidents in sports cars. Boley Pittard was a Formula 3 victim. There were many more – yet each one had known the risks, and raced regardless.
In addition to such a tragic list, there have been the survivors; Ken Wharton (1955), Jacky Ickx (1970), Niki Lauda (1976), Jos Verstappen (1994) and Pedro Diniz (1996) in F1, Mike Salmon and Richard Attwood in Ford GTs, Peter Procter in a Broadspeed Ford Anglia, Brian Redman in a Porsche 908/3, and more.
