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Race officers and drivers praised the fashionable security methods developed for Formula One on Sunday after Romain Grosjean survived a high-speed crash and fireball blaze on the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Safety and official medical automobile driver Alan van der Merwe was on the scene inside seconds as he adopted the sphere after the beginning of the race and together with chief medical officer Dr Ian Roberts they battled the blaze to save lots of Grosjean’s life. “It’s a miracle that he’s alive,” mentioned 1996 world champion Damon Hill, who was Ayrton Senna’s team-mate on the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when the Brazilian was killed.
Van der Merwe mentioned: “It was a big surprise for us as well, we’ve never seen that much fire in 12 years.
“Romain began to get out of the automobile himself which was fairly superb after an accident like that. It was a reduction to see he was okay. It simply goes to indicate all of the methods we have developed labored hand in hand — the halos, the obstacles, the seatbelts, every thing all labored because it ought to.
“Without just one of those things, it could have been a very different outcome.”
Grosjean misplaced management of his Haas automobile after clipping the entrance left wheel of Daniil Kvyat’s Alpha Tauri, having skewed proper within the intense battle for place at Turn Three on the opening lap.
His automobile rammed into the obstacles as he braked laborious from round 250 km/h (155 mph), the entrance half hammering into the metal guardrails which buckled.
Grosjean, 34, trapped in his cockpit, flew underneath the barrier because it gave manner and as his automobile burst into flames, splitting in two on impression.
Observers urged that his automobile’s security ‘halo’ saved his life, lifting the obstacles above his head.
His Haas staff boss Guenther Steiner mentioned: “When you see something like this the only thing you think is ‘I hope we get lucky’ — you don’t think how it happened or whatever.
“I wish to thank all of the marshals. They did a incredible job to get him away as fast as doable from the hearth. It was superb what they did.”
Another red flag
Steiner added that Grosjean, who is set to leave F1 at the end of the season, had suffered “gentle burns on his fingers and ankles”.
Grosjean was taken to hospital, with reports suggesting he had also suffered a suspected broken rib.
“I’m so grateful Romain is protected,” world champion Lewis Hamilton wrote on Twitter.
“Wow… the chance we take is not any joke, for these of you on the market that neglect that we put our life on the road for this sport and for what we like to do.
“Thankful to the FIA for the massive strides we’ve taken for Romain to walk away from that safely.”
The security automobile was shortly again in motion following the restart as Lance Stroll’s Racing Point flipped over.
This time the Canadian’s Racing Point made contact with Kvyat’s Alpha Tauri at Turn 8, his automobile coming to a halt the other way up.
Promoted
Stroll was unhurt and stayed cool inside his automobile.
“I’m okay, just hanging upside down,” he instructed his staff earlier than climbing out.
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