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Daniel Ricciardo disgusted by TV reaction to Romain Grosjean crash

Daniel Ricciardo is seething at the “disgusting” response from the live TV broadcast which captured Formula 1’s horror crash.

Grosjean escaping the flames engulfing his car.
Grosjean escaping the flames engulfing his car.

Aussie Daniel Ricciardo is seething about the “cold-blooded” response from TV broadcasters around the world to Romain Grosjean’s horror crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

After colliding with the barriers in a high speed explosion, Grosjean’s car split in half and was engulfed in a fireball.

Miraculously, he climbed out of the Haas car through the flames and was dragged away by marshals before being taken in a helicopter to a hospital with suspected rib injuries and burns.

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The car was sliced in half when it slammed into the Turn 3 barrier at more than 220km/h.

His survival cell was seen wedged into the railing once the fire was put out and the debris that was left from his smoking wreck of a car was cleared.

Romain Grosjean’s car bust into flames after the crash.
Romain Grosjean’s car bust into flames after the crash.

Grosjean issued a video on Instagram to let his fans know he was doing well as he continued to be treated in hospital.

His video from the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital showed the French driver smiling at the camera.

Ricciardo, however, was fuming when asked about the incident at the end of the race.

The 31-year-old said it was “disgusting” that the live TV broadcast continued to show a loop of replays of the scary incident during the hour-long break before the re-start of the race.

The replays were already being repeated on the live broadcast and on screens around the Bahrain International Circuit before it was confirmed that Grosjean was in a stable condition.

“I want to express my disgust and disappointment with Formula 1,” Ricciardo told Dutch broadcaster Ziggo.

RELATED: ‘It’s a miracle’: Fireball crash in Bahrain Grand Prix

Stewards and medics attend to Haas F1's French driver Romain Grosjean after the crash.
Stewards and medics attend to Haas F1's French driver Romain Grosjean after the crash.

“The way the incident of Grosjean was broadcast over and over, the replays over and over, it was completely disrespectful and inconsiderate for his family, for all of our families watching.

“We’re going to go race again in an hour and every time we look on the TV it’s a ball of fire and his car’s cut in half.

“I mean we can see that tomorrow, we don’t need to see it today.

“For me, it was entertainment and they’re playing with all of our emotions and I thought it was pretty disgusting.

A steward reacts as officials put out a fire on Haas F1's French driver Romain Grosjean car.
A steward reacts as officials put out a fire on Haas F1's French driver Romain Grosjean car.

“So hopefully some other drivers have spoke up. But if that’s not how we all really feel then I’d be very surprised.”

According to Autosport, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said after the race the sport is still wrestling with the dilemma of being transparent with fans in troubling moments.

“Those images were frightening and graphic, but if you’re not transparent as an organisation, you’re just taking the risk that somebody else shows stuff that is beyond your control,” he said.

Haas issued an update before the race re-start confirming Grosjean was being treated for burns to his legs and hands.

It is a miracle Romain Grosjean survived.
It is a miracle Romain Grosjean survived.

The team also corrected earlier reports that Grosjean had also suffered broken ribs when it released its medical update.

The Haas statement said X-rays taken at the hospital showed no signs of any fractured bones.

The team announced Grosjean would remain in hospital overnight to continue his treatment for the burns on the back of his hands.

His Haas team boss Guenther Steiner said: “When you see something like this the only thing you think is ‘I hope we get lucky’ — you don’t think how it happened or whatever.

“I would like to thank all the marshals. They did a fantastic job to get him away as quick as possible from the fire. It was amazing what they did.”

Ricciardo also endured a nightmare race, but none of that seemed to matter after Grosjean’s crash.

Ricciardo had climbed up to fifth, but he got caught behind a slowing Valtteri Bottas at the re-start and fell back to P10.

The Renault driver recovered to finish seventh., while Lewis Hamilton won the race — his 95th Grand Prix victory — ahead of Max Verstappen and his Red Bull teammate Alex Albon.

Read related topics:Daniel Ricciardo

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/motorsport/formula-one/daniel-ricciardo-disgusted-by-tv-reaction-to-romain-grosjean-crash/news-story/f54838c2375926feb99bdd9054b499dc