Motorsports: Romain Grosjean’s car explodes in a fireball after an accident on the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix

The Bahrain Grand Prix received a red flag on the first lap after a horrific moment in which Romain Grosjean’s Haas was engulfed in a fireball after colliding with barriers.

Grosjean exited the car through the flames and deputies dragged him out of the fire before he was airlifted to hospital with a broken rib and burns.

It was a terrifying moment after the start with all the drivers grouped together.

But with some opening up, it appeared as if Grosjean was trying to get through the peloton in a gap but came into contact with the wheel of Daniil Kvyat of AlphaTauri, driving straight into the barrier at Turn 3, a curve that is taken at approximately 140 mph (225 km / h).

The car was cut in half by the barrier with the tail separated from the fire.

Haas team principal Gunther Steiner was quick to thank rescue teams for their reactions, calling the accident “terrifying.”

“The last thing I have, he’s doing well,” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t want to make a medical comment here, but he had minor burns to his hands and ankles. He’s obviously shaking and he sure is going through all the necessary checks after an impact like this, but he’s conscious and fine.

“If you see where the barrier has come down, it’s incredible. I think we were lucky to have bad luck. I prefer that luck than luck in racing.”

Sky Sports’ David Croft immediately called the accident “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 and whatever catches fire right away.”

“The driver is well protected with fireproof clothing, helmet, gloves, boots and all, but that just went up,” he said.

But Brundle said he couldn’t remember a time he’d seen a car explode like this.

Grosjean was transferred by medical staff to an ambulance before being airlifted to the hospital.

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

“That’s a miracle,” Brundle said, while Croft added “I have not seen such a car in my time commenting on Formula One.”

Brundle continued: “It went through the barrier like a can opener and that just made the car pull apart, such was the energy. But I totally respect the FIA, the teams and the designers and all the stress analysis for constantly trying to improve the performance. structural integrity of the survival cell or the chassis. That saved his life because it’s just extraordinary. “

“The fact that Romain Grosjean survived that accident is not only miraculous, but also downright wonderful,” said Croft. “That is horrendous.”

The pit crews were stunned with many staring in disbelief.

Former F1 champion Damon Hill said it’s been a long time since Formula One was in an accident like that.

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

“I was thinking that the drivers going down the straight would have looked at each other in their mirrors and seen the flames. I think it’s been so long since we’ve seen something like that. It’s such an unusual sight to see a fuel fire and then see how it impacted the barriers and crossed directly, we cannot draw any conclusions, but it seems that the halo has saved Romain from a worse injury there. “

The halo is a curved titanium bar structure that sits overhead of drivers to protect them from flying debris and was only made mandatory in 2018.

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

“I am so thankful that Romain is safe. Wow … the risk we take is no joke, for those of you who forget that we risk our lives for this sport and for what we love to do. FIA for the tremendous strides we’ve given Romain to safely walk away from it, “he tweeted.