Formula 1: Romain Grosjean able to climb from car after horrific fiery crash that splits it in half

Haas driver Romain Grosjean was able to get out of his car after it split in half during a terrifying crash on the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.

Grosjean’s car went into a steel barrier at high speed after he made contact with Daniil Kvyat. The car immediately burst into flames on impact as it pierced the barrier and broke into two pieces.

The front of Grosjean’s car went through the steel barrier. The car skidded head-on into the wall after Grosjean’s car clipped the front of Kvyat’s when he went to make a move down the straightaway.

Thanks to the quick thinking of track workers and the modern safety of F1 vehicles, Grosjean was able to get out of his car after the crash and was eventually helped to an ambulance. He was actually on the other side of the wall when he climbed out from his car. It was a scene that doesn’t seem real.

The team said Grosjean had some minor burns but was otherwise OK. The Sky Sports broadcast later said that he was going to be examined for some potential broken ribs.

It doesn’t seem like a stretch to believe that the halo atop Formula 1 cars saved Grosjean’s life. The cockpit protection device was implemented on F1 cars ahead of the 2018 season to prevent objects from hitting drivers in the head. Since Grosjean’s car went through the wall at such a terrifying angle, the halo gave his head a barrier of protection that didn’t exist three years ago.

The race was red-flagged for over an hour after the wreck so that the wall could be fixed and the wreckage could be cleaned up. Polesitter Lewis Hamilton was leading the race at the time of the crash and went on to win. Hamilton clinched the 2020 championship two weeks ago in Turkey.

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