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‘It’s a miracle he’s alive’: Terrifying fireball crash rocks Bahrain GP

Horrifying scenes of a Formula One driver desperately leaping to escape his burning car have rocked the sport.

Andrew McMurtryAndrew McMurtry
@AndrewMcMurtry
5 min read
November 30, 2020 - 8:26AM
Terrifying fireball crash rocks Bahrain GP: ‘It’s a miracle he’s alive’ (TSN)

Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean has incredibly walked away from an inferno wreck on the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix with just minor burns.

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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It was a terrifying moment after the start with all the drivers bunched up heading into the first turn.

But with some going wide, it appeared as though Grosjean tried to cut through the pack into a gap but came in contact with the wheel of AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat, driving straight into the barrier at turn 3 at more than 220km/h.

The car was sliced in half by the barrier with the tail sitting separate from the fire.

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.

Haas issued an update before the race re-start confirming Grosjean was being treated at the nearby Bahrain Defence Force Hospital after sustaining burns to his legs and hands.

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.

Grosjean also posted a video on Instagram which showed him smiling in hospital, thanking his fans for their thoughts and prayers.

Lewis Hamilton was among the first to make a public statement of support towards Grosjean and eventually pulled himself together to win the race in a record 95th Grand Prix victory.

All the focus, however, was rightly on Grosjean.

“It’s a miracle that he’s alive,” said 1996 world champion Briton Damon Hill who was Ayrton Senna’s teammate at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when the Brazilian champion was killed.

Safety and official medical car driver Alan van der Merwe, who was at the scene in seconds, said: “It was a big surprise for us as well, we’ve never seen that much fire in 12 years.

“Romain started to get out of the car himself which was pretty amazing after an accident like that. It was a relief to see he was OK. It just goes to show all the systems we’ve developed worked hand-in-hand — the halos, the barriers, the seatbelts, everything all worked as it should.

“Without just one of those things, it could have been a very different outcome.”

Haas team principal Gunther Steiner was quick to thank the rescue crews for their reactions, calling the crash “scary”.

“The latest what I’ve got, he’s doing OK,” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t want to make a medical comment here but he had light burns on his hands and ankles. He’s obviously shaken and for sure is going through all the checks you need to do after an impact like this but he’s conscious and he’s fine.

“If you see where the barrier has been torn down, it’s unbelievable. I think we were lucky by being unlucky. I prefer that luck than racing luck.”

Romain Grosjean desperately leaps to escape the fire. Picture: Peter Fox/Getty Images
Romain Grosjean desperately leaps to escape the fire. Picture: Peter Fox/Getty Images
There was shock across the paddock.
There was shock across the paddock.

Sky Sports’ David Croft immediately called the crash “horrendous” as the race was immediately red flagged.

Martin Brundle added that it was “so unusual to see a Formula One car with all the safety cells and fuel ... immediately go into flames”.

“The driver is well protected with fire proof clothing, helmet, gloves, boots and everything but that just went straight up,” he said.

But Brundle said he couldn’t remember a time he had seen a car explode like that.

Marshals were also lucky with two tyres flying off the car, before they rushed to Grosjean’s aid.

“That’s a miracle,” Brundle said, while Croft added “I’ve not seen a car like that in my time commentating in Formula One”.

Brundle continued: “It’s pierced the barrier like a tin opener and that’s just levered the car apart such was the energy. But full respect to the FIA, and the teams and the designers and all the stress analysis for constantly trying to improve the structural integrity of the survival cell or the chassis. That’s just saved his life because that is just extraordinary.”

“The fact that Romain Grosjean has survived that crash is not only miraculous but quite frankly marvellous as well,” Croft said. “That is horrendous.”

Track marshals clear the debris following the crash of Romain Grosjean. Picture: Tolga Bozoglu – Pool/Getty Images
Track marshals clear the debris following the crash of Romain Grosjean. Picture: Tolga Bozoglu – Pool/Getty Images

The pit crews were left stunned with many looking on in disbelief.

Hill praised the halo for saving Grosjean from more serious injuries.

“Like everyone, absolute shock and horror,” he said of his first reactions to the incident.

“I was just thinking the drivers going down the straight would have looked in their mirrors and seen the flames. I think it’s so long since we’ve seen anything like that. It’s such an unusual sight to see a fuel fire and then to see how he actually impacted the barriers and gone straight through, we can’t jump to any conclusions at all but it looks like the halo has saved Romain from worse injury there.”

The halo is a titanium curved bar structure that sits above the drivers’ head to protect them from flying debris and were only made mandatory in 2018.

World champion Lewis Hamilton tweeted from the paddock about how dangerous the sport is.

“I’m so grateful Romain is safe. Wow … the risk we take is no joke, for those of you out there that forget that we put our life on the line for this sport and for what we love to do. Thankful to the FIA for the massive strides we’ve taken for Romain to walk away from that safely,” he tweeted.

Incredibly, after a long break to repair the barrier and remove the wreckage, there was more drama.

It didn’t even take a lap before Racing Point’s Lance Stroll’s car flipped over sparking a yellow safety car.

This time the Canadian’s Racing Point made contact with Daniil Kvyat’s Alpha Tauri at Turn 8, his car coming to a halt upside down.

Stroll was uninjured and stayed cool inside car.

“I’m OK, just hanging upside down,” he told his team before climbing out.

Social media lit up with people thankful for the safety precautions.

Hamilton’s victory, his 11th of the season, lifted him 131 points clear of Bottas in the championship, which he has won already.

However, his initial reaction was one of relief for Grosjean.

“It was such a shocking image to see and it shows the amazing job F1 and the FIA have done for him to walk away from something like that.”

He had posted his thanks on social media after seeing Grosjean survive. “I’m so grateful Romain is safe, wow,” he wrote.

“The risk we take is no joke for those of you out there that forget that we put our life on the line for this sport and for what we love to do.

“This is a reminder to us all. Thankful to the FIA for the massive strides we’ve taken for Romain to walk away from that safely.”

Max Verstappen finished second ahead of teammate Alex Albon. Daniel Ricciardo was seventh across the finish line.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/motorsport/formula-one/romain-grosjeans-car-explodes-in-fireball-after-first-lap-crash-in-bahrain-grand-prix/news-story/dea40705d3c1264cd529f5b627a44488