Lewis Hamilton wins the Bahrain GP and Romain Grosjean survives a fiery accident

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Warning: The video shows Romain Grosjean walking away from hell after an accident on the first lap at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton achieved the 11th victory of his title-winning Formula 1 season at the Bahrain GP, ​​which was overshadowed by the terrible and terrible accident of Romain Grosjean.

Grosjean miraculously escaped with minor burns and injuries after his Haas broke through barriers, splitting in half and bursting into flames on the first lap of the race, causing a red flag and a delay of more than an hour.

The Frenchman, who somehow emerged from his cabin while engulfed in flames before being rescued by marshals and an FIA medical officer, was airlifted to hospital where he is undergoing further evaluation.

Sky F1’s Martin Brundle and Damon Hill said it was a “miracle” that Grosjean was alive after the accident.

Drivers were visibly shocked at the images of the accident, but Hamilton, who said he was “very grateful that Romain was safe,” was normally controlled and dominant when the race resumed.

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Watch how the top three finishers on the podium react to Romain Grosjean’s terrible accident.

Following a Safety Car immediately after the restart when Daniil Kvyat flipped over Lance Stroll’s Racing Point, pole-sitter Hamilton rarely struggled at the Mercedes, with Max Verstappen his only rival for victory.

Verstappen finished second for Red Bull after three pit stops, with Valtteri Bottas just eighth after suffering an early puncture after dramatic opening laps.

Alex Albon completed the podium when Sergio Pérez was cruelly denied a third place which he held for most of the illuminated race. Perez, who has been in excellent shape in F1 2020 and is aiming for Albon’s Red Bull seat for next year, was four seconds ahead of Albon when he suffered an engine failure with just three laps remaining.

The race ended behind the Safety Car after Perez’s problem, with Red Bull sealing their first double podium since 2017.

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Replays show that Lance Stroll collided with Daniil Kvyat as the AlphaTauri attempted to move onboard at Turn 8 and the tire-to-tire impact saw his Racing Point catapult in his forehead.

McLaren impressed on Sunday after a disappointing qualifying, clinching fourth and fifth through Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, putting them ahead of Racing Point in the constructors’ battle for third place.

Renault also lost ground to McLaren, securing only seventh and ninth through Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon, while Ferrari only scored one point after a miserable night under the lights for Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel.

Bahrain GP race result
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3. Alex Albon, Red Bull
4. Lando Norris, McLaren
5. Carlos Sainz, McLaren
6. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
7. Daniel Ricciardo, Renault
8. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
9. Esteban Ocon, Renault
10. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Grosjean’s Miraculous Escape: How It Happened and How He Survived

Grosjean’s terrifying crash at the Bahrain GP and the sight of his Haas car split in two sparked disbelief and relief that the Frenchman could survive.

It all happened after just two corners into Sakhir’s race, when Grosjean, who started 19th, veered to the right before making contact with the front wing of Daniil Kvyat’s AlphaTauri.

He then went straight into Armco’s barrier, going through it “like a can opener” and getting stuck, with that, and the 53G force of the crash, then split his Haas in two. A large fire is believed to have been caused by a perforated fuel tank.

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Warning: The video shows Haas driver Romain Grosjean driving away from hell after a first-lap accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The only thing left of the front half of Grosjean’s car was the monocoque, the survival cell that is specifically designed to protect drivers in extreme impacts, and the Frenchman was somehow able to escape his cabin.

“This was particularly graphic, particularly shocking. It’s a miracle he’s alive,” said Sky F1’s Damon Hill.

Andy van der Merwe, the driver of the FIA ​​medical car, and Ian Roberts, the FIA ​​doctor, were two of the first to arrive and Roberts bravely helped rescue Grosjean from the flames and then the medical car.

“It was a big surprise. I have never seen so much fire in 12 years,” Van der Merwe said.

“Romain got out of the car himself, which is quite surprising after an accident like that.

“All the systems that 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 result.”

The Halo, the head protection system brought to F1 in 2018, was credited with saving Grosjean’s life by many, including most of the grid.

“There’s no way I would have survived that without the Halo,” added Hill, the 1996 world champion.

Hamilton, meanwhile, praised the “incredible work” that F1 has been doing with its increased focus on safety.

“It was such a shocking image to see,” Hamilton said after winning the 57-lap race. “When I get in the car I know I’m taking risks and I respect the dangers in this sport. I posted about it while we were on that break because it’s horrible.

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Reproductions of the incident and the aftermath of Romain Grosjean in the first lap of the Bahrain GP. Warning: Contains footage of Grosjean escaping from his car after it caught fire.

“I’m so thankful the Halo worked, I’m thankful the barrier didn’t cut off his head or something. It could have been a lot worse.

“But it is a reminder for us and hopefully for the people who are observing that this is a dangerous sport and that is why we are pushing the limit and playing with that limit, but it also has to be respected.”

“I think it shows incredible work that Formula 1 and the FIA ​​have done over time to be able to get away from something like this. But that will be investigated and they will do a lot of work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Hamilton was excellent on Sunday, as was his main rival Verstappen. But the Bahrain GP was really about Grosjean, and luckily the Haas driver and GPDA director, who will leave F1 at the end of the year, is safe after a horrible accident.

As the race winner and seven-time champion said, it could have been a lot worse.