Formula One driver Romain Grosjean appeared to escape with minor burns after his car crashed and burst into flames moments after the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Bahrain on Sunday.
The 34-year-old French driver Romain Grosjean’s car violently hit a barrier, split in half and erupted in flames during the first lap of Formula One’s Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday. Grosjean was stuck inside the flaming wreck for nearly 10 seconds before somehow finding a way out. Race footage showed safety officials reaching the car immediately but with Grosjean still trapped inside. He managed to find a way out and jumped through the flames and gripped the extremely hot metal barrier as he jumped over back onto the track, shaking his hands in agony before being helped by the stewards. Moments later, Grosjean was shown on television chatting with the race doctor in the medical car. Grosjean was then helped out of the car and into an ambulance. He appeared to be shaken but did not immediately seem injured other than a slight limp.
The race was halted and Grosjean, who miraculously made it out of his car without life-threatening injuries, was taken by helicopter and is currently being treated in Manama hospital. Governing body FIA said Grosjean is stable. Drivers and team members stood and applauded as they saw the images of Grosjean climbing over the barrier to safety and being sprayed with a fire extinguisher. It appeared an extraordinary escape after Grosjean’s car was sliced in half upon impact with the barrier. It’s the most serious accident in the sport in years. Meanwhile, Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton won the Bahrain Grand Prix.
