A top Formula 1 doctor has reflected on starting his career in North Staffordshire as he prepares for this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
While all the focus and attention will be fixed on drivers like Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, Dr Ian Roberts is often considered one of the most important people at the track.
As the Chief Medical Officer for Formula 1 and the FIA’s Medical Delegate, Ian is often on standby during races, ready to jump in the medical car and rush to the scene of an accident at a moment’s notice.
Over the years, he has helped ensure the safety of F1 drivers at more than 250 Grand Prix races and received the HRH Prince Michael of Kent Award of Merit for his exceptional work in motorsport safety and medicine.
Ian also received the FIA President Award and international praise for his bravery and reaction after helping to pull driver Romain Grosjean to safety after he crashed heavily into barriers on the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2020.
His car ripped in half and burst into flames and his escape was considered one of the most miraculous in Formula 1’s history.
Before his career in motorsport medicine, Ian worked as a rotational Registrar in the NHS between 1993 and 1998. This included regularly working at Stoke-on-Trent’s North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary and City General Hospital sites, and he also completed a Master of Medical Sciences degree with Keele University between 1996 and 1998.
He said: “It was a great time in my career working in Stoke-on-Trent, which was just prior to when I became a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. I actually look back on those days with real fondness because although it was a very busy time, I learned so much. The anaesthetists and intensive care staff were fantastic, and the hospital had a huge catchment area, so you would see all kinds of patients, which was a real learning curve.
“During that time, I also completed my Masters with Keele University part-time over two years under the supervision of Professor Brian McGuinness, so in my case I would go straight from the lecture theatre or intensive care into lectures and tutorials at the North Staffordshire Medical Institute, and then it was back to work or being on call. It was a pleasure to be associated with the university and if there were ever any difficulties or I was struggling with something, help and support was always on hand.”
Ian’s career in motorsport medicine began by being appointed as the chief medical officer for Silverstone with responsibility for the British Grand Prix.
These days, preparations for a Grand Prix begin days before the Sunday race, with tasks including ensuring that FIA medical regulations are complied with, studying the track and checking the medical centre is suitable.
A professional driver drives the medical car, getting Ian and a local doctor to the scene of an incident as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible.
Ian said: “The FIA Medical Car is on standby at the end of the pit lane during all sessions, so that’s practice, qualifying and the race, and we will be in our helmets and fireproofs, ready to go should anything happen on the track.
“You’ll also see the FIA Medical Car join the back of the grid when the race starts, and we complete the first lap because the cars are extremely close together at the beginning, and that is when you have the highest chance of a coming together or a car coming off the track. We are probably the only people to have started a Formula One race but never finished one.”
While significant advancements in driver safety have been made over the years and serious incidents are becoming less frequent, the sport’s inherent dangers still exist, highlighted by the Grosjean crash.
Ian added: “With the Grosjean crash, I did fear the worst when we got to the scene and you could see the flames and feel the intensity of the heat. As we pulled up, I could actually see him, and he was moving and starting to get himself out of his car, and in that split second, I ran towards him to see what I could do to help.
“Thankfully a race marshal was able to use a fire extinguisher just enough to get the flame away, and I reached over and just sort of grabbed him to help him over the barrier. The heat was phenomenal, it was stinging my face and it melted the bits of plastic on my race suit, which I still have in my loft at home.
“It was nice to receive the award and Romain said some very nice things afterwards, but I just did what was necessary at the time. The advanced technology we now have in F1 cars also contributed massively to Romain surviving the incident.”
