Should F1 consider a medical intervention after big accidents? Ocon reveals post Miami crash collapse

Haas driver Esteban Ocon has raised eyebrows in the motorsport after a shocking admission of the after effects of his 42G crash into a concrete wall at Miami for Alpine in 2022.

After the crash, Ocon revealed in an interview with Guillaume Pley that he was “peeing red” and added “I remember, the next morning, I was in the shower and I collapsed. I lost my balance and fell. I was not well at all”. The former Renault and Manor Racing driver also stated he had difficulty walking, as well as suffering from poor vision and three to four day long headaches in previous accidents.

The crash itself occurred in Free Practice 3 and resulted in the Frenchman missing qualifying, before starting the race from last, ending up eighth in an impressive drive.

📸 Ocon has since switched from Alpine to Haas.

‘G’s’, the force of which crashes are measured, are equivalent to body weight i.e 1G = 1 times body weight, meaning Ocon’s impact was a shocking 42 times his weight. For context, Ocon’s compatriot Romain Grosjean’s Bahrain crash was a horrific 67G. Ocon’s childhood friend Anthoine Hubert passed away in a sickening 81G crash in 2019.

📸 Time stood still for fans as they waited for Grosjean to appear from his engulfed Haas.

Motorsport - and Formula 1 especially is cutthroat, missed races equal missed opportunities, and an opportunity for others to prove their case.

In my opinion, and it’s a simple one, health and safety always comes first. If a driver has suffered such symptoms as Ocon described, they should be pulled from a race. There is every reason for the FIA to step in in the event a heavy accident, with driver safety being paramount. F1 should heed the call, and take Ocon’s shocking admission on board.

📸 Image credits: Formula Motorsport Limited, BBC Sport.