Formula 1 racing driver Romain Grosjean has said he is “sort of okay” after surviving a horror crash during the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 34-year-old Frenchman escaped with minor burns after his car was sliced in half by a safety barrier and burst into flames on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking in a video on Instagram from his hospital bed some hours later, he informed fans he was on the mend.
“Hello everyone, just wanted to say I am okay, well… sort of okay.
“Thank you very much for the messages.”
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Romain Grosjean gave an update on Instagram saying: ‘I’m okay’
Grosjean added he “wasn’t for the halo some years ago”, but added that without it “I wouldn’t be here today”, referring to the driver crash-protection system used in open-wheel racing series.
Following the crash, he managed to leap out of the burning car up to 20 seconds after impact.
His Haas car slid off the track on the first lap and was ripped in two before it caught fire.
He clambered out with the fire roaring behind him and his race helmet singed, limping away to an ambulance.
Romain Grosjean managed to jump out of the burning car
The vehicle ripped in two and burst into flames
His F1 team tweeted he “has some minor burns on his hands and ankles but otherwise he is ok”.
“He is with the doctors just now,” they added.
An FIA spokesman said the impact of Grosjean’s crash was measured at 53G.
Grosjean limped away from the car following the accident
Replays showed the driver leaping over the barriers and away from the flaming wreckage of his car before he was helped to a waiting ambulance.
Medics attend to Haas F1’s French driver Romain Grosjean after the crash
The accident was triggered when the Grosjean swerved across the front of Daniil Kvyat, making contact with his AlphaTauri.
Lewis Hamilton expressed his relief on Twitter while waiting for the race to restart, saying he was “so grateful Romain is safe”.
“Wow… the risk we take is no joke, for those of you out there that forget that we put our life on the line for this sport and for what we love to do,” he added.
Wreckage of Haas F1’s French driver Romain Grosjean’s car is removed
The 34-year-old has been taken to hospital
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said: “Romain is doing okay, I don’t want to make a medical comment but he had light burns on his hands and ankles. Obviously he’s shaken… I want to thank the rescue crews who are very quick. The marshals and FIA people they did a great job, it was scary.”
Sky Sports’ Karun Chandhok, a former racing driver, said: “It looks like when the car went through the barriers, the back of the chassis where the engine is mounted, the engine mount has snapped off and ripped off a bit of the chassis and that appears to have pierced the fuel bag.”
Haas F1’s French driver Romain Grosjean (R) driving before the crash
The accident temporarily halted the race on the opening lap. It restarted around an hour later following quick work to repair the significant damage to the trackside barriers.