The 2020 world champion Lewis Hamilton won the Bahrain Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen, but this race will be remembered for the shocking, fiery crash for Haas driver Romain Grosjean.
The race was also by disrupted by two safety cars in incidents that eliminated both Racing Point drivers, but the main highlight was the horrifying incident on the opening lap that involved Grosjean escaping his burning car after piercing one of the track’s barriers after making contact with Daniil Kvyat.
At the initial start, Valtteri Bottas made a slow getaway from second when the five red lights went out, while Hamilton leapt clear in the lead, and the Mercedes driver was quickly passed by Verstappen and Sergio Perez on the run to Turn 1.
Bottas was then swamped by Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo at the opening right-hander and as he lost momentum entering Turn 2, it appeared to set off a chain of reactions in the pack behind.
Lando Norris had to check up, which brought him into a line with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, which pinched at Turn 2 and caused Norris to slow again and left him with front wing damage.
The following Ferrari pair and Lance Stroll had to go wide in avoidance as they came up to the rear of Norris’s car, which sent the Racing Point wide, and the pack bunched up again going through the Turn 3 right kink, which slowed the group at the back of the midfield again.
The drivers at the rear of the field – including Grosjean – therefore quickly gained on those ahead, and in reaction the Haas driver moved right across the track, striking Kvyat’s AlphaTauri and sending him straight into the barriers.
His car was torn in half by the impact, with its fuel igniting and the front half of the car piercing through the barrier.
Grosjean was able to extricate himself from the burning wreckage, jumping back to the track-side of the fence and into the arms of FIA medical delegate Dr. Ian Roberts, who had arrived on the seen with medical driver Alan van der Merwe a few seconds after the impact.
The race was red-flagged after 36 seconds, just as the leaders were exiting Turn 6, and suspended for an hour and 20 minutes while Grosjean was taken first to the circuit’s medical centre by ambulance and then airlifted to the BDF Military Hospital for further evaluation.
His Haas team initially explained he had suffered minor burns on his hands and ankles and then gave a further update that he had suffered suspected broken ribs.
The pierced barrier was cut away and replaced with a series of concrete blocks, installed under the supervision of FIA race director Michael Masi.
The cars restarted on lap three of 57, with Hamilton on pole again ahead of Verstappen and Perez, with Bottas back up to fourth as the order was taken by the positions at the second safety car line during the initial start.
Hamilton again made a simple getaway from pole, with Bottas briefly able to challenge Perez and Verstappen ahead of him, but it was the Red Bull that had to defend against the Racing Point at the first corner.
Perez was edged out on the outside line, which put him back under pressure from Bottas as the cars raced through the rest of the first sector.
But the race was suspended again when Stroll and Kvyat came together at the Turn 8 hairpin, with the AlphaTauri on the inside and flipping Stroll’s car when it hit the Racing Point’s right rear, with Vettel forced to slam on the brakes and Kevin Magnussen breaking his front wing against the suddenly slowing Ferrari.
As Stroll was stranded upside down, the safety car was called into action as he climbed out, during which Mercedes had to pit Bottas when he picked up a puncture, which dropped him from fourth to P16 as he rejoined on the hard tyres.
The race restarted on lap nine, with Hamilton grabbing a 0.7 seconds lead over the line by nailing the final corner better than Verstappen as they moved back to racing speed.
The top two quickly romped clear of Perez, the only two drivers able to lap in the one minute, 34 seconds, but after just a few laps at that pace Verstappen began to slip back.
By lap 14, Hamilton had edged to a 2.0s lead, briefly dipping into the one minute, 33 seconds as Verstappen circulated in the one minute, 35 seconds, and he continued to edge away across the rest of the first stint.
Hamilton pitted at the end of lap 19 to take new mediums with a lead of 4.6 seconds, with Verstappen and Perez coming in at the end of the following tour – where they opted for hard tyres, of which they had both come into the race with two sets to Hamilton’s one.
When the stops shook out Hamilton led by 5.5 seconds at the start of lap 22, but Verstappen told Red Bull he would go “full send” and immediately brought the gap down by a second with a then fastest lap.
Then pair then exchanged faster times in the high one minute, 33 seconds and one minute, 34 seconds before Hamilton was able to re-establish his five second advantage by the end of the race’s first 30 laps.
Red Bull went aggressive to pit Verstappen for a second time at the end of lap 34, switching him back to the mediums, but the stop ran long by three seconds.
Nevertheless, after Mercedes had pitted Hamilton for hards at the end of the following lap, Verstappen was just 3.7s behind after a rapid out lap and first flying effort, as Perez pitted from in between the two leaders.
In a near copy of the second stint, Verstappen was initially able to exchange quicker laps with Hamilton before starting to slip back – hitting the one minute, 34 seconds again after initially running in the one minute, 32 seconds after his second stop on lap 46.
Hamilton had edged his lead up to five seconds again by that tour, at the end of which Red Bull brought Verstappen in for a third stop to take another set of mediums as he had enough time in hand over Perez.
Verstappen quickly set the race’s fastest lap at one minute, 32.014 seconds as Mercedes opted to leave Hamilton out with a near 30 seconds advantage.
That was whittled down to just over 20 seconds, although it appeared as if Hamilton had everything under control, when Perez’s engine suddenly began to let go as he ran down the main straight with four laps to go.
The Racing Point driver slow as his power unit eventually caught fire, after which he stopped on the back straight and the safety car was called out again.
Mercedes considered pitting Hamilton again but opted not too as the gap to Verstappen was too marginal, judging that the race would finish under the safety car, which it eventually did.
Albon joined Hamilton and Verstappen on the podium as a result of Perez’s problem, with Norris and Carlos Sainz moving up to fourth and fifth for McLaren – the latter gaining after making the soft tyres work unexpectedly well during the opening stint.
Gasly was the only driver to complete a one-stopper (Antonio Giovinazzi stopped for a second time under the final safety car and fell to P16 as a result) as he came home fifth despite being overtaken by the two McLarens later on and looking as if he would be vulnerable to Ricciardo behind without the safety car.
Bottas recovered to eighth after initially making little progress after his puncture, making three stops on his way back up the order, and then getting a suspected second puncture during the second safety car, which he was able to nurse to the finish.
Ocon finished ninth having been involved in a long and costly fight with Ricciardo during the middle phase of the race, with Leclerc rounding out the top ten.
So congratulations to Lewis Hamilton with this race victory but luckiest of all is Romain Grosjean. That crash on the opening lap was horrifying. To see his racing car split in half and so much fire was shocking. Relieved that the halo and modern safety standards helped and saved his life.
Bahrain Grand Prix, race results:
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 2:59:47.515
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull-Honda 1.254
3 Alex Albon Red Bull-Honda 8.005
4 Lando Norris McLaren-Renault 11.337
5 Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren-Renault 11.787
6 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 11.942
7 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 19.368
8 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 19.680
9 Esteban Ocon Renault 22.803
10 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1 lap
11 Daniil Kvyat AlphaTauri-Honda 1 lap
12 George Russell Williams-Mercedes 1 lap
13 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1 lap
14 Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 1 lap
15 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 1 lap
16 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 1 lap
17 Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 1 lap
18 Sergio Perez Racing Point-Mercedes –
– Lance Stroll Racing Point-Mercedes –
– Romain Grosjean Haas-Ferrari –
Bahrain Grand Prix race review as reported by Formula1.com.
Newly-crowned seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has taken his 11th victory of the 2020 season, winning out over the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Alex Albon at the Bahrain Grand Prix – in a race whose start was overshadowed by a horror crash for Haas’ Romain Grosjean.
Grosjean’s Haas car plunged into the barriers at Turn 3 on Lap 1, the Frenchman emerging from the fiery remains of his cockpit before being airlifted to hospital with suspected broken ribs and minor burns – but thankfully nothing more serious than that – with a lengthy red flag period ensuing as the barriers were repaired after what had been a horrible incident.
Following a subsequent Safety Car period at the restart after Racing Point’s Lance Stroll was rolled over after contact with AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat, it was a relatively simple evening’s work for Hamilton – crowned world champion last time out at the Turkish Grand Prix – whose victory never looked seriously under threat from Verstappen, despite the Dutchman shadowing him for much of the race.
Behind the leading pair, it looked for much of the Bahrain race as though Sergio Perez was set to claim his second podium in as many races, before the Mexican’s Racing Point expired with a suspected power unit issue three laps from the end. That promoted Albon up to third, giving the Thai driver his second career podium as the race finished behind a Safety Car brought out as Perez’s car was recovered.
Perez’s retirement was great news for McLaren, who claimed fourth and fifth, Lando Norris leading home Carlos Sainz, while their 22-point haul saw them move ahead of the point-less Racing Point to P3 in the constructors’ standings.
A one-stop race for AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly gave him a well-deserved P6, ahead of the Renault of Daniel Ricciardo and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas – who suffered a puncture at the race restart on Lap 3, leaving him with a recovery drive to P8. The top 10 was rounded out by the second Renault of Esteban Ocon and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in P10.
So, a topsy-turvy race – but once again, it was Lewis Hamilton who found himself on top, the Mercedes driver now a four-time winner of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Bahrain Grand Prix had only lasted three corners when F1 fans witnessed horrific scenes as Romain Grosjean’s Haas speared off into the barriers after contact with Daniil Kvyat’s AlphaTauri, the VF-20 splitting in two with the force of the impact and causing flames to burst from the car.
Fortunately, the Frenchman was able to scramble over the barriers to safety, Grosjean suffering suspected broken ribs and some minor burns to his hands and feet, but thankfully nothing worse than that, as he was then airlifted to hospital.
But as the race was red flagged and the drivers filed back into the pit lane, many of them and their team members looked shaken, some fighting back tears after what had been a horrible, sobering accident.
After an hour and 25 minute stoppage, at 1835 local time the race got underway again, the drivers’ positions taken from where the were at the second Safety Car line on Lap 1 before the race was red flagged, so: Hamilton from Verstappen and Perez – both of whom had passed the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas at the initial start, with the Finn slotting into fourth – with Albon fifth, Ricciardo sixth, Norris seventh, Ocon eighth, Pierre Gasly ninth with the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel P10.
The restart on Lap 3, meanwhile, lasted until just Turn 8, when Kvyat and Stroll came together, with Stroll’s Racing Point forced into a roll – the Canadian fortunately able to scramble out of the car unhurt as the Safety Car was brought out, with Kvyat handed a 10s penalty.
Vettel, meanwhile, had been left unamused after being divebombed by team mate Leclerc at Turn 1 – Leclerc ultimately jumping from P12 to P7 by the end of Lap 3 – while a debris puncture for Bottas forced him to pit, bringing him out 16th, while Kevin Magnussen had to replace a front wing after contact with Vettel’s Ferrari.
Hamilton, crucially, had once again maintained his lead from Verstappen, Perez, Albon and Norris in P5, and when green-flag racing resumed on Lap 9, Hamilton aced his restart to hold off the Dutchman, while Sainz – who’d originally started the race in P15 – was up to eighth after passing Ricciardo. Sainz then made it through on Leclerc for seventh with a fine move at Turn 1 on Lap 12, with Ricciardo and Gasly demoting the Monegasque to P10 in quick succession, as the Ferraris appeared to struggle.
Hamilton quickly built a 5s gap over Verstappen, before pitting – along with Albon – on Lap 19, with Hamilton and Albon’s choice of another set of medium tyres each indicating that at least one more stop was on the cards for both drivers before the evening was out. A lap later and Verstappen and Perez were in from P2 and P3, both drivers taking a set of hards each, and giving them the theoretical option of potentially staying on that tyre until the end – although neither driver would ultimately attempt it.
With the halfway point of the race reached by Lap 29 of 57, it was Hamilton with a five-second lead over Verstappen, himself 16s up the road from Perez, who was holding off Albon by around 4s.
The McLaren duo were enjoying a great race, meanwhile, Norris leading Sainz – the Spaniard having brilliantly eked out the life of his soft starting tyres – while Ricciardo was seventh having been swapped over by Renault with team mate Ocon, who was P8, ahead of Gasly, Leclerc and the recovering Bottas in P11, a minute behind his team mate.
Red Bull decided to roll the dice on Lap 34, bringing both Verstappen and Albon in for a new set of hard tyres, with Hamilton following suit a lap later but retaining his lead, and Perez a lap after that. Once both McLarens had been pitted out of the way, the top four was as it was – Hamilton from Verstappen, Perez and Albon – with Gasly up to fifth ahead of Norris and Sainz, while Ricciardo triumphed after another brief squabble with Ocon to hold P8 ahead of his team mate.
Verstappen would pit once again on Lap 46 for medium tyres, allowing him to go for the fastest lap point, which he’d duly take two laps later, with the Dutchman having emerged still ahead of Perez.
That looked to be the evening’s result set, then, as the field appeared to cruise to the chequered flag. But then on Lap 54, huge plumes of smoke were seen emanating from the back of Perez’s Racing Point, the Mexican eventually pulling up at Turn 10, having cruelly had a second consecutive podium snatched from him. Racing Point Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer had his head in his hands on the pit wall, unable to believe that his team had failed to score a single point in Bahrain.
A Safety Car was required, neutralising the race and meaning that Hamilton eventually rolled over the line at the end of Lap 57 for his 11th victory of the season, and his fifth in a row – with the Mercedes driver quick to send his best wishes to the recovering Grosjean after his win.
Verstappen was forced to settle for second, having never looked like being close enough to launch any sort of move on the Mercedes of Hamilton, while Albon was delighted to inherit his second career podium after benefitting from Perez’s misfortune – a decent recovery, after the Thai driver’s huge crash in Free Practice 2.
McLaren needed a strong Bahrain Grand Prix to keep themselves in the hunt for P3 in the constructors’, and they got it, as Norris eventually took fourth, while exactly as in Istanbul, Sainz climbed from P15 to P5, finishing ahead of the one-stopping Pierre Gasly in P6. The net result for McLaren was third in the standings, which they now hold by 17 points from Racing Point thanks to their 22-point haul.
Ricciardo took seventh – but would likely feel that Renault could have taken more than their eight points had their two drivers not spent so much of the race fighting each other – while a late pass from Bottas on Ocon gave the Finn P8 at the flag, Bottas crossing the line with another reported puncture on his W11, as Ocon and Leclerc rounded out the top 10.
Having been involved in both of the evening’s big accidents, Kvyat was left to finish 11th, ahead of the Williams of George Russell – still point-less in F1 – while Vettel ended up a frustrated 13th, having complained of having an “undriveable” Ferrari SF1000 during the Grand Prix. Nicholas Latifi, Kimi Raikkonen, Antonio Giovinazzi and Kevin Magnussen were the last runners to cross the line, while Perez was classified 18th. Grosjean, meanwhile, was fittingly voted Driver of the Day by race fans.
So, as the sparkling rose water flowed, it was another victory in this extraordinary 2020 season for Hamilton, who remains on course for another record this season – that of Alberto Ascari’s 75% win percentage set in 1952, which Hamilton will trump if he wins both the Sakhir and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix that close out the season. We can’t wait to see if he does.
Haas driver Romain Grosjean was “lucky by being unlucky” in horror Bahrain Grand Prix crash. Motorsport.com has the news story.
Gunther Steiner paid tribute to the Formula 1 marshals and medical staff who helped Romain Grosjean escape from his terrifying first lap crash, saying he was “lucky by being unlucky”.
Grosjean crashed heavily exiting Turn 4 on the opening lap of Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, hitting the barrier with such force that his car was torn in half, with the monocoque and survival cell becoming lodged within the barrier.
Grosjean was able to clamber out of the wreckage despite a large fire starting almost immediately, and was taken quickly to the medical car. The race was immediately red-flagged, and is subject to a long delay while the barriers are repaired.
The Haas F1 driver was then transferred into an ambulance after sustaining burns to his hands and ankles, and is now being taken to hospital for suspected broken ribs, according to the team.
Haas F1 team principal Steiner gave thanks to the medical staff who were quick to arrive at the scene and tend to the wreckage, using fire extinguishers to put out some of the fire while Grosjean escaped.
“He’s shaken and is going through all the checks that you need to do after an impact like this,” Steiner said.
“He’s conscious, he’s fine, but I didn’t have any direct contact with him, just with the people there. He seems to be OK.
“I want to thank the rescue crews who were there very quick. I didn’t see who it was yet, but the marshals and the FIA people, they did a great job. It was scary, it is scary what happened.”
Footage following the crash showed much of the monocoque – including the halo and the headrest – were melted in the middle of the barrier following the crash and fire.
“When you see what is going on out there, if you see the barrier, where it is torn down, it is unbelievable,” Steiner said.
“I think we were lucky by being unlucky. I prefer that luck to any racing luck. He seems to doing good. Hopefully there is nothing coming, but he got away with it I think.”
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton wrote on social media that he was thankful Grosjean was “safe” following the accident.
“The risk we take is no joke for those of our out there that forget that we put our life on the line for this sport and for what we love to do,” Hamilton said.
“This is a reminder to us all. Thankful to the FIA for the massive strides we’ve taken for Romain to walk away from that safely.”
The wait for Romain Grosjean to escape Bahrain crash fire “felt like ages”. Motorsport.com has the details.
Formula 1 medical car driver Alan van der Merwe said it “felt like ages” waiting for Romain Grosjean to escape from the fire after opening lap crash in Bahrain.
Grosjean crashed heavily at Turn 3 after making contact with Daniil Kvyat on the first lap in Bahrain, with the impact at the barrier tearing his car in half and causing a huge fire.
Grosjean clambered out of the fire at the wreckage unassisted, and was quickly met by van der Merwe and Dr. Ian Roberts, the FIA’s deputy medical delegate and doctor for F1 events, both of whom had run towards the fire.
The Haas F1 driver was taken to the medical car to sit down before being transferred to an ambulance, reporting burns to his hands and ankles. He has since been transferred by helicopter to hospital with a suspected broken rib.
The race was immediately red flagged, with a lengthy wait following while repairs were completed at the site of the crash.
Medical driver van der Merwe said it was a “big surprise” for the FIA staff to see such a huge fire from the incident, but hailed the safety standards in place that saved Grosjean’s life.
“We’ve never seen that much fire,” van der Merwe said. “In 12 years, I’ve never seen that much fire at an impact like that.
“We just took a little while to process what was going on. I’m sure it was only a second or so, but it felt like ages.
“Then Romain just actually started to get out of the car himself, which is pretty amazing after an accident like that.”
The aftermath of the crash showed the monocoque of Grosjean’s car – which had been lodged in the damaged barrier – was melted by the fire, including the halo and the headrest.
“[There was] some relief when he got back here and he was OK,” van der Merwe said.
“It just goes to show, all the systems that we’ve developed, everything worked hand in hand, the halo, the barriers, the seat belts, everything worked how it should.
“Without just one of those things, it could have been a very different outcome.”
Van der Merwe was quickly greeted in the pit lane by Haas F1 boss Gunther Steiner, who thanked the South African for his work, and asked after Roberts to give his thanks as well.
Formula 1 boss Ross Brawn says that the sport will launch a “deep investigation” into Romain Grosjean’s scary accident at the start of the Bahrain GP.
The Frenchman escaped with relatively minor injuries after contact with Daniil Kvyat sent his Haas off the road.
The chassis went through the barrier, with the entire rear end breaking away, starting a spectacular fire.
Grosjean escaped on his own with help from FIA medical delegate Ian Roberts, who was one of the first people on the scene.
Brawn admitted he was worried by the way the barrier opened up, allowing the chassis to pass through.
“It’s shocking for everyone in F1 to see an accident of that severity,” he said. “We’re not used to that, fire being involved as well.
“But I think it’s a tribute to the work that the FIA and the teams have done over the years. I think we remember the controversy of the halo when it was introduced. And I have to give credit to Jean Todt, because he insisted that it should come through.
“And I think today, we might be looking at a different situation that we didn’t have the halo. And for me, that’s what prised, and managed to keep the barrier apart, when the car went through it.
“But I’m sure we’ll have a deep investigation to understand what we can learn from it. Because seeing a barrier split like that is clearly not what we want to see.”
Brawn praised the efforts of Roberts and the local marshals who were on the scene so quickly.
“I can’t agree more, credit to everyone. Clear thought, clear purpose. They didn’t hesitate. They did exactly what they needed to do today, and you can’t fault them.
“And we’re proud to have them all. And I think it’s very reassuring for the drivers to see that level of professionalism, and that response. And from that respect, I think it was perfect.
“Obviously, we don’t want to see an accident like that. But in terms of the response. I can’t really think there could have been anything more effectively done.”
Source: Motorsport.com
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton commented that this “horrifying” Romain Grosjean accident reminder of Formula 1’s danger. Motorsport.com has the news story.
Lewis Hamilton says Romain Grosjean’s “horrifying” fiery accident on the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix acts as a reminder of the danger of Formula 1.
Contact with Daniil Kvyat resulted in Grosjean crashing out at Turn 4, with the impact with the barrier tearing his Haas F1 car in two before sparking a large fire.
Grosjean was able to clamber out of the wreckage that was quickly tended to by the FIA medical staff, who helped subdue the fire using extinguishers.
Grosjean has since been taken to hospital in Bahrain with a suspected broken rib, having also sustained light burns to his hands and ankles.
The incident resulted in a wait of more than an hour for the race to resume while the barrier was repaired under the red flag.
“It was such a shocking image to see,” Hamilton said of Grosjean’s crash.
“When I get in the car, I know that I’m taking risk, and I respect the dangers that are in this sport. I posted about it [on social media] whilst I was in that break because it’s horrifying.
“The cockpit, I don’t know what Gs he pulled, but I’m just so grateful that the halo worked. I’m grateful the barrier didn’t slice his head off or something like that. It could have been so much worse.”
Hamilton said the accident served as a reminder of the dangers that F1 drivers face each time they step into the car.
“It’s a reminder to us, and hopefully to the people that are watching, that this is a dangerous sport,” Hamilton said.
“We are out there pushing to the limit and that limit, it needs to be respected.
“I think it shows an amazing job that F1 has done the FIA have done over time, to be able to walk away from something like that.
“But of course, that will be investigated and they will do a lot of work to try and make sure that that doesn’t happen again.”
Hamilton was able to take a controlled victory once the grand prix got back underway, only briefly losing the lead once during the first round of pit stops as he scored his 11th win of the year, beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Hamilton acknowledged that it was hard to get back in the right mindset following the lengthy delay, and that he found it to be a difficult race despite going relatively unchallenged at the front.
“It really was physically very demanding,” Hamilton said.
“With the break that we had at the beginning, you get into a mindset, you go out and you get a good start, and then that hour wait that we had, it so easy to step out of the zone.
“That was quite tricky, but then getting back in, [Red Bull] had a lot of speed today so I was flat out the whole way, trying to try to keep them at bay.
“This track has always been physical we got lots of high speed corners. So I was definitely feeling it.
“I managed to just about reply to [Verstappen] when I needed to, but it was sliding around a lot out there and I wasn’t really quite sure how it would play out at the end.
“But I’m massively grateful and thankful to my team, because they at the end of the day did a great job with the strategy.”
Romain Grosjean will remain in hospital overnight for observation but “feels good” following his crash in Bahrain, according to Haas Formula 1 boss Gunther Steiner.
Grosjean was transferred to hospital following a terrifying crash on the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix that saw his Haas F1 car tear into two parts after hitting the barrier at Turn 3.
Grosjean was able to escape the wreckage despite a large fire being sparked and the monocoque being embedded in the guardrail, and was quickly met by medical staff.
Haas said soon after the accident that Grosjean had sustained slight burns to his hands and ankles, and was being taken to hospital with a suspected broken rib.
Team boss Steiner gave an update following the race to say that he had spoken with Grosjean and he was in good spirits, believing that he had not broken any bones, but revealed the Frenchman would be staying in hospital overnight.
“I just spoke with him on the phone, he’s in a clear state of mind, he’s good,” Steiner said on Sky Sports F1.
“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.”
Steiner said that Grosjean’s physio was quick to get in contact with his wife, updating him on his condition, and that he had spoken to his son in the aftermath of the crash.
“His physio was in contact with his wife straight away,” Steiner said.
“They know each other very well, so he was in contact and they gave him the news. I tried to call, but you can imagine these people are so busy.
“When I called him before, he was on the telephone with his son, I was told, so that’s good. I think it’s all under control.”
Steiner refused to dwell on any possibility of needing to replace Grosjean for the final two races, saying he would be keen to drive so long as he is fit enough to do so.
“Knowing him, he wants to be back, but we’ll see that tomorrow when they take the bandages off because he has no idea what they look like,” Steiner said.
“For me at the moment, the only good thing is, nothing bad happened. For sure it wasn’t good, but he’s safe, he’s healthy.
“The rest we’ll see tomorrow when we speak with the doctors.”
Asked what the back-up plan would be if Grosjean was not fit, Steiner replied: “I don’t want to speak about the back-up plan. The back-up plan is to have Romain in if he’s alright to do it.”
Source: Motorsport.com