Romain Grosjean suffered minor burns and suspected broken ribs but was in a stable condition after his car smashed through safety barriers at the Bahrain Grand Prix on the opening lap, bringing the race to a halt.
The Frenchman´s Haas car was ripped in half and engulfed in flames as it speared through protective barriers immediately after the start, following contact with the AlphaTauri of Daniil Kvyat.
The impact was measured at over 50G, according to a spokesman for the sport's governing FIA.
"(Romain) is stable and being taken by helicopter to the MDF MC Military Hospital for further evaluation," the governing body said.
A spokesman for Grosjean's Haas team said the 34-year-old had suffered minor burns on his hands and ankles and had one or more suspected broken ribs.
Replays showed Grosjean, who is out of contract next season, exiting his flaming car limped unaided and jumping over the barrier, he was then helped by FIA medical safety car team to an ambulance.
Stewards delayed the race for 45 minutes with a 10-minute warning before resumption, as track workers carried out repairs to the barriers.
Lewis Hamilton, who television pictures showed shaking his head in disbelief as he watched the replays, was in the lead. Max Verstappen was second with Sergio Perez third.
Reaction to the crash:
Alan van der Merwe, the driver of the FIA's medical car: "It was a big surprise. I have never seen that much fire in 12 years. "Romain got out of the car himself, which is pretty amazing after an accident like that.
"All the systems we have worked to develop, everything worked hand-in-hand: the halo, the barriers, the seat-belt. Everything worked. Without just one of those things working, it could have been a very different outcome."
Lewis Hamilton: "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."
George Russell: "Massive relief to see Romain is ok. Huge credit to all the teams, the FIA and F1 for all the safety measures we have in the sport today."
Damon Hill: "It is a miracle he is alive. This was particularly shocking. Nobody in their right mind could understand what Romain has been through. "
Martin Brundle hailed Alan van der Merwe and Dr Ian Roberts response "They were both diving in there to what they trained to do and what they wanted to do. It was very brave."
Click images to enlarge:
loading
Latest News
Loading
