Should the images of Grosjean's crash be shown over and over again?

Daniel Ricciardo is renowned for his contagious good humor, his permanent smile, and his puns. The Australian, however, had a black eye on Sunday evening when commenting on the Bahrain Grand Prix. 

Was he annoyed by the performance of Renault, who had just missed a great opportunity in the fight for 3rd place in the Manufacturers' championship against McLaren ? No, Ricciardo was very upset because he had spent a good part of the race interruption watching the images of the violent crash of Romain Grosjean run in a loop. 

After an incredible impact with the safety barrier of turn 3 measured at 53 G and nearly 221 km/h, the Haas of the Frenchman split in two, the survival cell remaining embedded in the rail and surrounded in an inferno of flames. After seconds that seemed like hours, a figure stood in the middle of the blaze. She extricated herself from the carcass, climbed what was left of the slide to take refuge in the arms of the FIA ​​medical team. 

Horrifying images shown only after assurances were obtained that Grosjean was near the ambulance but while 19 other drivers tried to stay focused ahead of a 2nd start in the pit lane.

« I am disgusted and disappointed by the actions of the F1, the way they chose to broadcast endless slow motion: the fire, and then the car cut in two, castigated Ricciardo after the race. And as if that wasn't enough, they moved on to his on-board camera. Why do we need to see this? 

We were going to resume the race in 1 hour. His family must have been watching. Ours too. It's really unfair. It's not entertainment. They broadcast it like we were in Hollywood. It's really not cool. Do it the day after the race but not then ». 

Several drivers shared Ricciardo's sentiment, including Sebastian Vettel.

« People like to see this stuff, whispered the pilot Ferrari, almost resigned. Otherwise the director would not have shown the images in a loop. People like accidents. Maybe they forget there's someone behind the wheel. Some will tell you that it's part of the show. That's why I slipped away so as not to look too much ».

• Entertain and/or inform?

Other players in the paddock, however, believe that it was necessary to show the images to show that Grosjean was well and to praise the merits of safety in F1. 

« We can have divergent opinions on the question, commented his boss Guenther Steiner. In my eyes, if the outcome is positive, why not show it so that people understand and are reassured?

Yes, the accident was nasty but everyone was relatively well. We wanted to inform people as quickly as possible, to say that Romain was doing well. At these times, it is difficult to quickly contact family, friends, etc. By using TV, we send a much stronger message ». 

Toto wolff for its part, believes that the organizer of a world championship has a duty of transparency. “ You can't risk someone else showing things that are beyond your control », argued the main team Mercedes.

Contacted by AUTOhebdo, the Liberty Media group has defended itself against any voyeurism.  

« First of all, F1 is not looking for entertainment at all costs, replied a spokesperson. We have different protocols and procedures in place before idling. After an accident, the onboard cameras and the helicopter images are cut off. There is a direct link between the race management and the TV management. 

We are not showing any images until we receive confirmation that the pilot is okay. At that point, F1 showed Romain without his helmet being supported to walk towards the ambulance. 

No slow motion happened until we received the green light from race management and the FIA ​​that everyone was fine (drivers, track marshals, doctors, etc.). 

The footage is broadcast in a context that allows commentators to explain the benefits of the Halo and the safety improvements promoted by the FIA. 

There is a constant dialogue between F1, the FIA, and race management. We make decisions based on reasoned judgment and with respect for the families of those involved ».

In a world of immediacy full of cameras, not showing right away can be interpreted as a desire to conceal. We can regret it.