MOTORSPORT: Fiery Frenchman lights up Bahrain GP

A fiery crash from which Frenchman Romain Grosjean was lucky to walk away has overshadowed world champion Lewis Hamilton’s win in the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix.

In the graphic words of TV commentator and former GP racer Martin Brundle, Grosjean’s Haas-Ferrari opened the steel barrier like a “tin opener” at turn three on the opening lap after contact with Daniil Kyvat’s AlphaTauri-Honda.

The Haas split in half and the front half – the bit Grosjean was sitting in – exploded into flames. While it seemed like hours, Grosjean emerged from the flames and leapt the remains of the barrier within seconds with the help of FIA deputy medical delegate Dr Ian Roberts, while medical car driver Alan van der Merwe sprayed them with fire retardant.

Grosjean was flown to the Bahrain Defence Force hospital for treatment, suffering from second-degree burns to his hands. He was cleared of suspected broken ribs after X-rays. 

But the 34-year-old veteran of 179 GP starts was clear he only survived the accident because of the ‘halo’, the curved bar introduced in 2018 that rings the cockpit and is designed to protect the driver’s head.

“Hello everyone, I just wanted to say I am okay – well, sort of okay,” Grosjean said via video post.

“Thank you very much for all the messages. I wasn’t for the halo some years ago, but I think it’s the greatest thing that we’ve brought to Formula 1, and without it I wouldn’t be able to speak with you today.

“So thanks to all the medical staff at the circuit, at the hospital, and hopefully I can write you quite soon some messages and tell you how it’s going.”

This was to be Grosjean’s third-last grand prix as Haas had already confirmed his departure. But whether he can recover in time for next weekend’s race back at a different version of Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit, or the season finale in Abu Dhabi in two weeks, is yet to be known.

F1 has also declared its intention to conduct a “deep” investigation into the accident, in particular the way the barrier was pierced.

It took 80 minutes to remove the shredded metal, replace it with concrete blocks and get the race underway again. But the GP only lasted eight turns before the Racing Point-Mercedes of Lance Stroll was on its lid and the safety car called out.

Stroll was okay, able to crawl from the car after an accident trigged by wheel-to-wheel contact with Kyvat. This time the Russian was judged at fault and given a 10-second penalty.

Sadly for Racing Point, Stroll’s teammate Sergio Perez provided the night race’s last dramatic moment when his engine expired with just three laps to go when he was secure in third place. That meant the race ended under safety car.

Hamilton was dominant once more in scoring his 11th win of 2020, starting from pole and forsaking the lead only through the pit stop shuffles.

Max Verstappen challenged him hard in his Red Bull-Honda, but could never quite get on terms.

Verstappen’s teammate Alex Albon benefited from Perez’s late failure to claim third place. The result may also help him defend from the Mexican’s attempt to take his drive for 2021 at Red Bull.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo qualified sixth but botched the restart to drop back as far as 10th. He eventually climbed back through to seventh, two spots ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon.

“The result today does not matter so much after that [Grosjean’s crash] and it’s a bit of an afterthought,” said Ricciardo. “To see him escape and walk away was a relief and I wish him the best in his recovery. That’s the main thing from today.

“In terms of our race, it certainly wasn’t what we wanted but we gave it our best and we still managed to score points. We’ll focus on next week when it comes, it’s still to play for in the championship and we’ll come back stronger.”

Ricciardo is fourth in the drivers’ championship but up to seven rivals could still finish ahead of him such is the tightness of the midfield battle.

The battle for third in the constructors’ championship is just as intense. Renault is fifth, 10 points behind Red Bull and 27 points behind McLaren-Renault which maximised in Bahrain with fourth and fifth place for Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.

AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly also finished ahead of the Renaults.

Completing the points finishers were Hamilton’s teammate Valterri Bottas in eighth after a puncture dumped him to the back of the field at the restart and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in 10th.