Romain Grosjean will remain hospitalized overnight for treatment on burns sustained in a massive crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Grosjean had a miraculous escape on the opening lap after an impact with the barrier, which split his car in two and saw it catch fire. The French driver was dragged clear after around 15 seconds in the flames.
A limping Grosjean had to be helped to the medical car before being taken to the hospital. A medical update confirmed he had not sustained any fractures — there were initial concerns he had broken at least one rib — but that he does have burns on both hands.
A Haas team statement released on Sunday evening said: “Following medical evaluation by doctors at the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Hospital Haas F1 Team driver Romain Grosjean will remain in hospital overnight to be treated for burns sustained on the back of both hands after his opening lap incident at the Bahrain Grand Prix. All X-rays performed on Grosjean came back clear of fractures.”
Haas boss Guenther Steiner said Grosjean is in good spirits at the hospital.
“I just spoke with him on the phone, he’s in a clear state of mind, he’s good,” Steiner told Sky Sports after the race. “He’s still staying in the hospital overnight, they want to keep him there.
“But he told me and not the doctor, he feels good, it seems nothing is broken. He’s got his hands bandaged from the burns, but otherwise he said he has no burns or nothing. He was very upbeat, I would say, so very happy.”
The severity of the crash shocked those who saw it, with reigning world champion and eventual race winner Lewis Hamilton calling it “horrifying” and a reminder of the huge safety improvements made in recent years.