F1 driver Romain Grosjean survived the most horrifying Formula 1 accident for six years with burns to the back of his hands.
The crash appeared like something from a bygone age, as the car broke in two, caught fire and split the barrier, before coming to rest embedded between two twisted sheets of metal on its side.
Grosjean hit the barrier at 137mph and the impact measured a force of 53G. He was in the inferno for nearly 30 seconds before extracting himself and then being helped over the barrier by FIA doctor Ian Roberts.
World champion Lewis Hamilton said after winning the race; "It was such a shocking image to see."
"His car, 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. It could have been so much worse."
The last time an F1 car split in two was at Monaco in 1991 while the last time one caught fire in a crash was at Imola in 1989.
At Watkins Glen in the USA in 1973 and 1974, the drivers, Francois Cevert and Helmut Koinigg, were killed.
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