F1 driver Romain Grosjean miraculously escapes fiery crash at Bahrain Grand Prix

Joe Rivera

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F1 driver Romain Grosjean miraculously escapes fiery crash at Bahrain Grand Prix image

One of the most devastating F1 wrecks happened in Bahrain on Sunday.

Early on in Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix, Haas F1 driver Romain Grosjean escaped from a fiery wreck with just minor injuries.

Grosjean, presumably not seeing fellow driver Daniil Kvyat in his side-view mirror, slid across the track, contacting Kvyat's car. He went careening off the track into the barricade.

The result was nearly fatal: Grosjean's car split in half, with flames engulfing the car. Per Sky Sports' broadcast, Grosjean sustained only minor burns on his hands and ankles, and also a possible broken rib.

Race marshals were quick on the scene, helping extinguish some flames and giving Grosjean an escape route from the wreckage.

Kvyat noted that he was, at first, unhappy that Grosjean came screaming across the track, but also noticed flames in his rearview mirror, and was thankful to hear that Grosjean was mostly OK.

Formula 1 drivers and analysts noted the safety precautions in place and advances to safety in the cars for a main reason why and how Grosjean walked away mostly unscathed; drivers credited the vehicles' halos, mandatory for Formula 1, 2 and 3 cars since 2018, as a primary reason for that. 

Some analysts noted that had Grosjean been knocked unconscious, the result may have been drastically different.

While an investigation is underway, it's speculated that a damaged fuel line may have ignited the fire following the crash.

Later in the race, Racing Point driver Lance Stroll's car flipped after colliding with Pierre Gasly.

Lewis Hamilton took home the checkered flag, his 11th win in his championship season.

Joe Rivera

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Joe Rivera is in his seventh year with The Sporting News, handling NFL, MLB and some things pro wrestling. A proud-ish Rutgers University graduate, Rivera combines a new-school flair with an old-school soul. He loves dingers, wrestling, comic books, movies, music and really bad puns. He is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater.

You can find him and tweet him @JoeRiveraSN, if you're into that sort of thing.