01 December,2020 07:24 AM IST | Sakhir (Bahrain) | AFP
Haas driver Romain Grosjean is all smiles from his hospital bed in Bahrain yesterday. Pic/Instagram
French driver Romain Grosjean will sit out of next weekend's Formula One race after escaping a fiery high-speed crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix with just burns to his hands, his team Haas said on Monday.
Grosjean walked away from the wreckage after he collided with Daniil Kyvat's Alpha Tauri on the first lap of Sunday's race, causing the Haas car to split in half and burst into flames as it smashed through the safety barriers at 225 kph.
Haas said treatment for the burns that Grosjean suffered was "going well" and he was expected to be discharged from hospital on Tuesday. Grosjean escaped alive thanks to the integrity of his car's survival cell, his halo device, which deflected the ruptured Armco metal barriers away from his head, his own presence of mind in remaining calm as he extricated himself and the rapid skilled assistance of F1's medical staff and track marshals.
Also Read: Romain Grosjean miraculously survives horrific crash as car up in flames at Bahrain GP!
"Hello everyone, I just wanted to say I'm okay, well, sort of okay," the Frenchman said in an Instagram post. "Thank you very much for all the messages. I wasn't for the halo some years ago, but I think it's the greatest thing we brought to Formula One and, without it, I wouldn't be able to speak to you today."
Brazilian driver Pietro Fittipaldi - grandson of two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi - will make his Formula One debut in place of Grosjean in the Sakhir Grand Prix, also in Bahrain, next Sunday.
"After it was decided that the best thing for Romain was to skip at least one race the choice was pretty easy," said team principal Guenther Steiner. "Pietro is familiar with us and it's the right thing to do."
Fittipaldi tested with Haas in 2018 and 2019. "Most importantly, I'm happy Romain is safe and healthy," said Fittipaldi. "We are all happy his injuries are relatively minor after such a huge accident. Obviously it's not an ideal set of circumstances to get my first opportunity," he added.
Halo is a crash-protection system attached to the top of a F1 car to protect the driver's head. The FIA made it mandatory in 2018.
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