WATCH: Look inside Formula 1’s life-saving Medical Car

When watching Formula 1, you might have found yourself wondering why there’s fairly standard looking family estate car trundling around behind the pack at the start of a race. However, the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix brought home just how crucial the FIA Medical Car’s role is in the sport.

It was that car, driven by Alan van der Merwe and with the FIA’s Medical Rescue Coordinator Dr Ian Roberts riding alongside, that was on the scene in seconds after Romain Grosjean’s Haas VF-20 ploughed terrifyingly through the Armco barriers at the Bahrain International Circuit, before erupting in flames.

READ MORE: Grosjean posts image of injured hands after having dressings removed for the final time

However, thanks to the quick work of van der Merwe, Dr Roberts and the local marshals, Grosjean was able to be pulled to safety, suffering only burns to his hands, with the Frenchman continuing to recover at home in Switzerland.

Enjoy the video above as Alan van der Merwe and Dr Ian Roberts talk Formula 1’s Will Buxton around the Medical Car, give their recollections of Grosjean’s accident, and also explore the history of Formula 1’s push for safety, spearheaded by the legendary Professor Sid Watkins.