
Doug Nye: F1 fires have so often ended tragically
“Erupting fireballs were followed, so often, by the worst possible news”
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.

