Finnish Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas has praised the reactions of race officials and medical crews after a dramatic crash on the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.
The incident saw Swiss-born French driver Romain Grosjean have a miraculous escape from a crash into a barrier that split his vehicle in half, and engulfed it in a ball of flames.
Writing on social media after the race, Bottas said “we are so thankful Romain is okay […] this is a moment to recognise the work of the FIA to always make our sport safer and to salute the unstinting bravery of the marshals and medical crew.”
Bottas, who finished the race in eighth place, described it as an “unlucky day” but “so glad to see Romain Grosjean survived that crash. That’s the main thing.”
Grosjean was inside the burning car for around 30 seconds before he was able to climb out and suffered burns on his hands.
Bottas was almost 20 seconds behind the race winner on Sunday, his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, but he’s already focused on the next Grand Prix fixture which also takes place in Bahrain next weekend. Bottas posted pictures to Instagram on Monday showing him doing some cycling training to prepare for the upcoming race.
