This Week in Sports – Motorsport: Romain Grosjean’s miraculous survival story

BY MARCEL MARIAK

When F1 Haas Romain Grosjean suffered a potentially career-altering crash during the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, many doubted whether he would ever return to the grid.

During the first lap of the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, in what was supposed to be one of his career’s final races, the Frenchman underwent a tremendous crash that tore his F1 car in half and engulfed the cockpit in flames. After making contact with Daniil Kvyat’s Alpha Tauri, Grosjean’s race car lost control and collided with a steel barrier at nearly 120mph. The impact caused the barrier to split in two and tear open the F1 car which immediately caught fire, trapping the driver inside.

Trapped upside-down in the burning wreckage, it took Grosjean twenty-seven seconds before he managed to escape the cockpit. Although he suffered second-degree burns to his hands, an FIA (F1’s governing body) investigation found that the crash could have been much worse. The investigation determined that the impact would have proven instantly fatal for Grosjean had the Halo system – a modification which he strongly opposed in 2017 – not prevented the steel barrier from striking his head.

Despite his incredible survival story, many people in the F1 community doubted whether or not Grosjean would ever return to the track. On one hand, the Bahrain Grand Prix was supposed to be one of his final races in F1. On the other hand, Grosjean would likely want to complete his final race and leave the track on his own terms.

Now, seven months after his horrific crash, it has been confirmed that Romain Grosjean will have one final race on the F1 grid – this time, in a Mercedes car. The Frenchman will drive Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 Championship winning car at the upcoming French Grand Prix. He will then leave F1 to continue his motorsport career in the American Indycar Series.

“F1 didn’t get the chance to race in France during 2020 because of COVID so driving a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 will be so special,” said a happy Grosjean, “I can’t wait for the day to arrive!”

Basketball: Raptors’ playoffs spot hangs in the balance after loss to Clippers
After the Toronto Raptors’ first NBA championship in 2019, basketball fans in Toronto were hopeful that the team would be able to continue their impressive performance. But after Kawhi Leonard’s move to the Clippers and a rough start to the season, the Raptors’ playoffs hopes are in limbo.

The Raptors were on the road on Tuesday facing the Clippers. Hopes were high that the team would be able to beat their former MVP player and stay in a good position to secure a playoff spot. Unfortunately, the Raptors offence went cold in the fourth quarter and the team came up five points short for a close loss. Because of this, the Raptors’ chances at a playoff spot now hang in the balance. The looming game against the Wizards is the Raptors’ last chance for a potential playoffs spot. Even if they do win, the team’s fate rests on the other games in the conference this week.

While Raptors fans haven’t given up hope yet, the chances of seeing their team perform in the playoffs are slim. The American sports poll and predictions website, FiveThirtyEight, predicts that the raptors only have a 5% chance at clinching a playoff spot.

This season’s lacklustre performance shows how dependant the Raptors were on Kawhi Leonard in 2019. With the trade of a single player, the Raptors went from being NBA champions to barely being able to get into the playoffs. This series of events poses a worrying question for the Raptors and their fans: Do the Raptors have to buy their championships? It’s not uncommon for an NBA team to rely on a few key players, but the amount of damage that Kawhi’s trade did to the team’s performance is concerning.

On the bright side, if the Raptors don’t make the playoffs this year, there’s always next year – a phrase that many say has been uttered a little too often in recent times.