Last night’s Bahrain Grand Prix won by Lewis Hamilton was overshadowed by a horrific Lap One incident which saw Romain Grsojean’s Haas burst into flames upon impact.
Grosjean not only survived the crash but got himself out of the car and jumped over the barrier to the awaiting medical team on his steam.
The fuel cell of a modern day F1 car is ballistically tested and composed of Kevlar. However, the ferocity of Grosjean’s crash has been enough to rip away some of the cell, allowing a full tank of fuel to leak onto the engine.
Most of the front part of the car was trapped beneath the Armco barrier, with the extreme angle of Grosjean’s car enough to pierce the barrier and dissipate energy towards the rear of the vehicle.
The FIA will conduct a thorough investigation into the crash to understand the full scope of both the accident and Grosjean’s escape.
Medical car driver Alan van der Merwe, one of the first on the scene, said the crash and Grosjean’s escape was “pretty amazing”.
He added: “It just goes to show all the systems that we’ve developed, everything worked hand in hand: the halo, the barriers, the seatbelts.
“Everything worked how it should and without just one of those things, it could have been a very different outcome.”
