SAN FRANCISCO, November 29, (THEWILL) –Â French race driver Romain Grosjean’s car was torn in half and went up in flames as it shot through protective safety barriers on Sunday. It brought the Bahrain Grand Prix to a halt on the opening lap, before the Frenchman limped away to an ambulance.
The Haas car flew out from the rear of the chasing pack and slammed into a barrier on turn three. Unbelievably, Grosjean walked away from the crash assisted by two marshalls who were nearby and were lucky to escape injury themselves.
Organisers quickly red-flagged the race, forcing cars to pit as they planned a restart and announced a 45-minute delay.
A spokesman for the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) said the impact of Grosjean’s crash was measured at 53G. In the replays, the driver is seen leaping over the barriers and away from the flaming wreckage of his car. The Frenchman was assisted to an ambulance as he appeared to be limping.
The accident was triggered when Grosjean made contact with Daniil Kvyat’s AlphaTauri as he swerved across the front of the Russian racing driver.
“Romain has some minor burns on his hands and ankles but otherwise he is ok. He is with the doctors just now,” read a statement from Haas, who added he was going to hospital as a precaution.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
