HOW DID HE SURVIVED?
Grosjean defies death as he escapes fireball
HIS car was sliced apart and the safety barrier was smashed to smithereens.
And then, somehow, from a fireball appeared the figure of Romain Grosjean, to leave himself and the whole of Formula One asking one question: How did he survive that?
The dramatic, chilling start to the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday became a testament to F1’ s modern- day safety regulations as the Haas driver walked away from one of the scariest crashes the sport has ever seen.
The outcome of this 140mph shunt could have been so much worse.
Yet it showed the huge strides F1 has made in safety since Jules Bianchi’s tragic death just over six years ago.
Last year tragedy struck again as the sport mourned the death of Formula Two racer Anthoine Hubert at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Hubert was the first fatality at an F1 race weekend since Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger died at the 1994 San Marino GP.
And, for a worrying 30 seconds yesterday at the Bahrain International Circuit, there were major concerns over Grosjean’s health.
The Frenchman’s car, heavy with fuel, split in two as it pierced the barrier and immediately burst into flames.
But, much to the relief of the watching millions, he eventually leapt away from the inferno with the help of F1 doctor Ian Roberts.
It emerged that Grosjean climbed out of his burning machine with his racing boot missing from his left foot.
Englishman Roberts and Alan van der Merwe, the driver of the FIA’S medical car, were two of the first people on the scene to help the injured star.
South African Van der Merwe said: “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.”
Indeed, it was F1’ s halo cockpit safety device, which divided opinion when it was introduced in 2018, that proved effective and helped Grosjean to avoid a fatal injury.
The impact was measured at more than 50G, according to a spokesman for the FIA. “It is a miracle he is alive,” said Britain’s 1996 world champion Damon Hill, who also expressed his “absolute shock and horror” at the images of the fiery crash.
The race was delayed for an hour and 20 minutes as track workers removed the wrecked barrier and replaced it.
When it restarted, there was drama again as the Racing Point of Lance Stroll collided with Daniil Kvyat and turned upside down.
Stroll quickly came on the radio and informed the team he was fine before being seen climbing out of the car.
The remainder of the race played out without incident as Lewis Hamilton held on to secure a win in the first grand prix since he was crowned a seven- time world champion a fortnight ago.
But this race will long be remembered for one man... and the day the sport was left holding its breath.