Some of the new elements introduced for 2026 are developments prompted by a crash for Romain Grosjean at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix which even Hollywood couldn’t have dreamt up.

On the first lap, Grosjean made contact with Daniil Kyvat’s Alpha Tauri, which pitched his Haas into a barrier at high speed, exploding on impact as the car became wedged between the metal bars of the barriers which flank a large part of every Formula 1 circuit.

It was the type of crash the sport hadn’t witnessed for decades, and one which frequently led to fatalities in the past.

Little has ever looked more gladiatorial than Grosjean rising from a huge ball of flames after squeezing between charred and twisted steel and striding across to a waiting ambulance, received by disbelieving marshals and medical staff.

“The engine split from the chassis,” says Tombazis, “which is OK as such, but in splitting it ripped the chassis apart, and so it left the fuel tank exposed, thus fuel came out and it caused a fireball.

“We were very fortunate the driver was conscious and therefore could come out.”

Tombazis then explained how the post-crash analysis process worked.

“Every car has an electronic box which logs a lot of signals,” he says.

“It logs all the G-[force] loads of the car, therefore it’s possible to calculate the trajectory of car as it was out of control and how quickly it decelerated and how hard it hit the barrier, and how it came to rest.

“This data gets analysed. In addition, the remains of the car, the chassis, gets analysed.

“Some of the subsequent analysis we did, we worked on how the engine would come off the chassis and applied further regulation to ensure that when the engine rips off, the failure points are bolts connecting the engine to the chassis and not the chassis itself.

“So now if things go as planned in similar circumstances, maybe the engine comes apart, but the chassis remains intact and the fuel tank also. So that’s one outcome of that accident.”

Grosjean, who now races for Lamborghini in the United States, credits the ‘halo’ head protection device for saving his life, after the structure around the cockpit helped to create enough space in the barrier for the Frenchman to escape.

“Without it, I wouldn’t be able to speak with you today,” said Grosjean after the crash.

There have been several clear instances where serious injury has been averted thanks to the halo and other innovations across the sport.

F1’s current quickest man – McLaren’s Lando Norris – agrees, highlighting the crash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

“It can hold a number of double decker buses without breaking,” he says. “Given the speed we do, it can deflect an enormous about of things.

“We saw with Lewis and Max, where Max’s car ended on top of Lewis. If [the halo] was not there it would have been on Lewis’ head – you never want to know what the consequences might have been if we didn’t have the halo.”

CHELSEA legend Gus Poyet has recalled the sneaky Christmas party tractic he used to avoid drinking too much booze.

The former Blues star jokingly explained how he cleverly avoided “being placed in a coma for seven days” during Chelsea nights out.

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Poyet reckons he mastered the practice of safe drinking during his five years in West London between 1997 and 2001.

In fact, the Uruguayan finally held his hands up to admit that he would turn up hours late to avoid a deadly hangover.

Poyet told The Times:“For Christmas nights out in London the players would get together at two o’clock, so I would get there at seven.

“If I start at two — I’m not going to name names but the way some could drink was unbelievable.

“And the next day, they train — no problem. Me, I would be in a coma for seven days.”

When asked about his social life at Chelsea, he said: “Top. But the drinking culture — I was shocked. I remember being injured, my first night out.

“They gave me a beer and I’m holding it, I don’t know if I’m going to drink. And then they bring me another one and put it in my other hand.

“I adapted. I knew you have to give something of yourself and even if I wasn’t a big drinker I needed to be present. Part of the team.

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“So I never missed a night out, but did it my way.”

When asked about the football, Poyet said: “It was physical. I liked it. Away from home, north, it was always tough. Leeds!

“A typical question they ask me everywhere in the world is: ‘who was the toughest player you play against?’

“Well, every time you were facing Roy Keane you needed to be prepared. Because you knew he was coming.”

Poyet scored 49 goals in 145 Chelsea midfield appearances after joining as a free agent.

He joined Tottenham in May 2021 for around £2.2m and scored 14 goals in his debut season, helping Spurs reach the League Cup final where they lost 2-1 to Blackburn.

His time at Spurs was blighted by injuries after he sustained cruciate ligament damage for the second time in his career in August 2002.

After hanging up his boots in 2004, Poyet began his coaching career as assistant coach of Swindon Town.

He later managed Brighton, Sunderland, AEK Athens and the Greece national team until his contract ended in March this year.

Watch Sune Luus’s “unbelievable” caught and bowled as she removes Scotland’s Lorna Jack-Brown during the second innings of their Women’s T20 World Cup match in Dubai.

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Players from across the football landscape – in England and overseas – were quickly corralled.

Among them: England Under-20 international Charlie Webster, signed for an undisclosed fee from Chelsea after spending last season on-loan in the Netherlands with Heerenveen, Costa Rica international Alejandro Bran, a loan signing from Major League Soccer side Minnesota United, and Terence Vancooten, a Guyana international whose move from Stevenage is understood to have made him one of Burton’s most expensive ever signings.

Burton’s spending has had rivals talking of their new financial flex,, external but Hareide says “speculation that new owners are throwing money at it” was to be expected – despite not wanting to divulge what the rebuild has cost.

“We are not splashing cash at all,” he added.

“I feel we have been smart. I don’t want to disclose any fees, but I can confirm that Terence was a signature signing for us because he is an establish League One player, who performed well last season and he has proven attributes that fit our model and style of player – a backbone we want to have at the club.”

For Hareide it’s a “brick-by-brick” project, about getting everyone “aboard the same boat and rowing in the same direction”.

And when jokingly asked about its similarities to flatpack furniture, he laughed as he said: “I’m Norwegian, we are envious of what the Swedes have done with Ikea”.

And in Tom Davidson, NFG have a Swedish founder who has gone on to become deputy chairman at Burton.

The consortium around him has been “handpicked”, Davidson explains, with Burton Albion the focus of what he calls “dynamic Nordic cooperation” whose aim is to try establish a “sustainable and stable” League One club whose way of working can help shape the game in the countries that each stakeholder represents.

“Can we make a difference from the Nordic scene in the number one football county in the world? The responsibilities, the challenges and the opportunities are massive with going into an English football club,” Davidson said.

“Club football today is so big, so there is space not only for the giants, but for other clubs with other values – smaller vibrant clubs with a big heart and who maybe have a smile on their face.”

At a club with an image shaped by the town it represents, whose stadium holds just under 7,000 spectators and shares a training ground with England’s national teams, Davidson is adamant they can carve out a place as “one of the coolest most progressive clubs”.

“This was the brewing capital of England, we are called the Brewers, we have a fat guy kicking a ball on the shield – we can do so much cool fans stuff at the stadium with this,” he added.

“Burton is a fantastic underdog club, from this little town that has had a miracle journey. We can maybe have a unique and positive space in football.”

CHRIS EUBANK JR trained in a traditional Saudi robe as he continued his preparations for his blockbuster Riyadh bout.

The Brit, 35, is set to fight Pole Kamil Szeremata this Saturday.

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Stepping out for a sparring session, Eubank Jr wore a traditional Saudi robe with accompanying headwear.

He looked in the zone as he made his way ringside, where he had his gloves put on.

In footage taken by SunSport, Eubank Jr could be seen shadow boxing in the ring while still wearing the thobe.

Although by this point he had removed the headwear.

In the build-up to Saturday’s bout, Eubank Jr opened up to SunSport about his greater perspective heading into the fight.

Three years ago, his younger brother Sebastian died of a heart attack aged just 29 in Dubai.

Chris has since cared for Sebastian’s son Raheem, who was just a month old when his dad passed away.

Now, Eubank Jr is determined to give Raheem the best life possible.

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He said: “I remember going to my brother’s grave for the first time and that’s where I first met Raheem and I held him in front of the grave and it calmed me down.

“His energy and him being very quiet while on my chest gave me peace.

“I felt then that everything would be OK.

“I felt that we might have a second chance here.

“I love that little boy. I use Raheem as a tool to strengthen my will and my soul and my spirit.

“Raheem is going to live a long and fulfilled life and I only have a few years of boxing left.

“So I need to do everything I can over the next three or four years to make sure he has the best life he can possibly have growing up.”

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